Artemis Fowl: Alpha
by The Director of words
Summary: With his new magic Artemis must go beyond this world to stop the destruction and mayhem of beings from another world. Set after Lost Colony. A lot of A/H in later chapters. COMPLETE although i might still edit it.
1. A Fowl Problem

Chapter 1

The full moon shone brightly down on the river and despite the light a dark shape walked towards the ancient oak beside the river wearing a dark hood. The strange hooded figure stooped and picked up a solitary acorn. The person stood up and as he did so the hood slid off his head revealing the ice-cold blue eye and the soft hazel. The eyes scanned the area before walking back to the 4x4 car where the bodyguard, Butler was waiting. Pausing at the door he leaned down and buried the acorn and over the rushing of the river the words were just audible he had heard from Holly all those years ago

"I return you to the earth" Artemis Fowl said hand still holding on to the acorn. "And claim the gift that is my right."

Nothing happened for a second. But then, just as he thought "Its not working, I don't have the right" the acorn glowed blue and the magic hit him like a Neutrino 2000. He smirked. What do you know, a magic human, probably the first one in millennia. But as he climbed into the car beside Butler he was wrong about one thing. He'd been right about the magic, the ritual and the timing. But what he didn't know was that another magic human was arriving underground.

Holly Short was in her cubicle at the LEP anxiously writing a report about the collapse of the time tunnel that had happened two months ago. The warlocks had requested the LEP for this report as well for them to study and were already interviewing. The only reason she was in LEP now was that wing commander Vinyaya was now the commander who had refused point blank unless Holly was given her job back as Captain if she ever returned. Despite the report and all this to chew over her thoughts were elsewhere and she kept finding herself staring into space lost in thought. Her new eye itched slightly and many found that it was slightly intimidating when they found out it was Artemis Fowl's. Artemis Fowl. Suddenly her private communicator started to beep. Only Mulch Diggums and Artemis had this number. It turned out to be a text, all it said was

"Look out of your window"

Frowning slightly she crossed to the only window and realised that something was wrong. The whole of Haven City had turned blue and looking up she could see the cause. Right by the sun strips was a jagged blue rip in nothing that was letting out massive electric shocks that were destroying the sun strips one by one. Suddenly the door burst open and Vinyaya came in her silver hair streaming behind her.

"Have you seen it?" she gasped.

"Yeah, but was it?"

"I was hoping you could answer that," said Vinyaya now also staring at the blue hole. "Foaly has no idea what it is and the Warlocks are flummoxed but the Demons say it's like a materialisation."

"I wonder what Artemis I mean Fowl would say." said Holly rubbing the blue eye thoughtfully.

"Well that's another reason why I came to see you. We need you to collect Fowl and get his opinion on this. We may need him at a moments notice so bring him back with you. We've made all the necessary arrangements for him and Butler so the sooner the better really. Remember Captain that could be anything and the longer its there the more damage it's going to do."

"Where's the shuttle?" said Holly the communicator already at her ear.

"Bay A5 Foaly will be waiting for you there."

Artemis and Butler were halfway back to Fowl Manor when he got the call. His communicator beeped and he wondered whether Foaly had watched his experiment. Answering it he said "Hello Holly"

"Hello listen I… hang on what are you doing at this hour?" over her voice he could hear her running.

"Experiment, now what's wrong?"

"Who said anything's wrong?" she said suspiciously.

"You're running and phoning me at the same time who does that except in a crisis?"

Down below the surface Holly sighed why was she always stuck with the annoyingly knowing Fowl?

"Fine something's wrong and we need you down here to help sort it out. They've set up all the arrangements and I'm coming to pick you up."

"How long will you be?"

"Half an hour give or take a few minutes"

"I'll see you outside E1 then."

"Fine but don't think I've forgotten the "experiment" as you call it" and cut the link.

"Butler, change of plan we need to go to E1" Artemis pocketing his communicator and started searching for something.

"So what's the new crisis?" asked Butler immediately turning the car around in a tone as if he was merely asking the weather.

"No idea" said Artemis pulling out a red cube. "But I intend to find out."

Holly closed the link to find she was outside bay A5. The door soon recognized her thumbprint and let her in to find Foaly under the ship making some final adjustments. When he saw who had come in he immediately pulled himself out and trotted over to her whinnying with delight.

"Hi Foaly you working alone?"

"Yeah when you were away I decided to make a shuttle for pacifically for Artemis Fowl and considering how important it is I decided to make it all myself. I can't give you a tour at the moment but there is more technology in it than a thousand LEP officers' uniforms. Oh and that reminds me your new stuffs over here." Walking towards a workbench set against the wall. He picked up an obviously new jumpsuit. "The great thing about this is that although it's got all the old features the suit but it has its own magic battery which contains five times the amount of magic that the average fairy holds. This thing will also charge when you perform the ritual. The helmet" he continued picking up the helmet now "imports a high powered computer which you control using a mixture of sound, thought and seeing. The computer is the same one that was in Artemis' cube I finally managed to break the Eternity code you won't believe the programming in it and"

"Foaly" interrupted Holly. "We don't have all night so speed things up."

"Yeah your right but let me show you the Neutrino 4000. This thing has enough power to light the sun for the rest of your lifetime. It also has a setting for different things you could go against like a troll or in your case a whole pack of them as well as all the features of the 3000."

"Oh and one more thing" Foaly said in her helmet just as she was firing up the thrusters. "I would like all this stuff back intact or at least not too destroyed."

"You speak as if I have no respect for your gadgets," grinned Holly.

"Maybe so" he said darkly. "But I can't remember the last time I got anything that worked back from you."

"Why all this stuff for just getting Artemis?" As she shot out of the bay.

"Be prepared for the unexpected and with you and this blue thing around the unexpected is expected."

Artemis was typing something in to the cube and Butler had his hand on his Sig Sauer while they waited outside the mound of earth that was the entrance to E1. It seemed as if they were in two different dimensions. In Artemis' world he was totally relaxed as he hacked through Foaly's computer finding the cause for the "crisis". It wasn't so great in Butler's world. This was just another thing that made his job more difficult as it was the perfect place for an assassination, quiet and no people to call for help and as every Bodyguard knows an assassination is best when there are no witnesses. Although the glass was bullet proof and the car was well built it wouldn't stop everything. So he kept the engine running, one hand on the wheel and the other on his Sig Sauer. He was just wondering whether to scout the area when he saw a figure. Squinting he drew his gun then relaxed it was only Holly. When he saw who it was Artemis quickly put his cube away and got out closely followed by Butler.

"Hey Mud Boys" Holly said as soon as they were in earshot. "Come on the longer we're here the worse it can get in Haven."

"What's happening in Haven? You haven't said yet." Asked Butler.

"Ah" said Holly she was going to enjoy this it wasn't often she knew something that Artemis didn't.

"The sun strips are being destroyed by something that could be a different type of materialisation. This could produce anything and for the safety of Haven they are going to have a discussion as to what to do."

The words came out of not Holly's mouth but Artemis'.

"And I believe I'm one of the discussers and that's why you came to get me as you have really no idea what it is. Am I correct Holly?" finished Artemis.

Great.

"How on earth do you know these things? You haven't been inside Foaly's computer again have you?

"Yes, I decided if I'm going to answer this I need to know what it is."

"If you'd waited thirty minutes longer you'd of found out anyway."

Ignoring this Artemis said briskly. "Come on then or we'll miss whatever this is."

"I'm not coming Artemis."

Holly and Artemis turned to stare at Butler.

"Any particular reason?"

"Two reasons. One I'm getting too old for this and two someone needs to look after Fowl Manor as well as the twins."

"Twins?" said Holly staring at Artemis now. " You never said you were a brother."

"You never asked." Artemis said defensively.

"You should've still said."

"How? You never make any social calls. Its always business or a crisis."

"I do make social calls."

"When was the last time you called socially."

They continued like this through the hologram and Butler smiled for the first time in ages. "They'll be the last to realise it." He thought as he drove away to Fowl Manor.


	2. Happier Without an answer?

Chapter 2

Opal Koboi sat in her cell deep in thought or asleep it was hard to tell not that it mattered. To the LEP, as long as she was stuck in her cell at Howler's Peak she could play the Banjo for all they cared. The cell was made of what looked like concrete and was approximately the size of a large cupboard. Suddenly she woke up and glared at the camera in the corner. You could see the cameras reflection in her eyes and on the side it said in blocky writing "Koboi Industries". Screaming she made frantic attempts to get at the camera set out of her reach. Artemis, Holly and Commander Vinyaya watched as Foaly fast-forwarded. She was still glaring at the camera when the blue portal broke through her cell. She turned to see what was happening and, for a second, surprise registered on her face her eyes wide her mouth an O. Then the screen turned to static.

Artemis and Holly had just arrived at the bay when they heard the news. Apparently the blue thing had moved on after destroying all but one sun strip then preceded to break down half the walls at Howler's Peak. It left Howler's peak mainly rubble and was now near the entrance the rest of the city. Most of the convicts who had managed to escape were already behind bars again but Opal Koboi had vanished without a trace.

Now Artemis pointed at the screen in triumph.

"That proves it doesn't it"

"No it could've been an escape plan." disagreed Vinyaya.

"There are three reasons why I'm right. One, the look on her face when it came in."

"The face could've been acted."

"Two the sleeper seeker is not registering."

"He's right." Said Foaly morosely and brought up on his computer the seeker for Opal. It showed nothing but a sign saying, "signal unavailable".

"And three this isn't her style she always does covet stuff. Cloak and dagger sort of thing not grand explosive escapes."

"Okay you tell us where Opal is then if she's not in her prison cell or loose and come to think of it what is that thing anyway?" Demanded Vinyaya crossing her arms. They all looked at him the main reason why he was here was being asked.

"I'm not sure what it is yet" his face composedly blank. "There are several tests to perform to know what it is. What I think it is, is immaterial I won't bore you with theories with no evidence. As for Koboi she is not a threat, if I'm wrong she is dead and if I'm right she's somewhere difficult to get to or back from so is useless to get her."

"So what your saying is you don't know what it is any more than we do." concluded Holly.

Artemis raised an eyebrow. "Did I say that?"

Holly blinked. Vinyaya on the other hand was less confused.

"Tell…us…what…it…is" yelled Vinyaya slamming her fist on the table so hard it went right through the wood. Cursing she pulled her hand out which was quickly healed by magic and glared at Artemis who alone had remained seated and was watching her with mild interest.

"You say Koboi might be dead?" said Foaly to break the awkward silence.

"Repeat might."

"That's if you're wrong?"

"Yes."

"And if you're right?"

"Then she is alive, far away and the blue thing is even more dangerous than we would like to hope. Sort of a double edged knife."

"How dangerous?" asked Vinyaya trying and failing to sound polite.

Artemis stood up. "I'll say that at the conference we have" checking his watch "an hour before it so if someone could show me to my room?"

"I'll do it." Holly said quickly seeing that Vinyaya would like nothing better than to throw him in a cell for a couple of days.

They were halfway down the corridor when Holly decided to ask.

"You don't need to test anything do you Artemis? Your always right and you know what it is already."

Artemis didn't answer for a minute then said.

"There is a chance that I'm wrong."

"But your taking that chance aren't you?"

"Yes I am." Sighed Artemis she knew him to well.

"So why didn't you tell them what is almost certain?"

" For the right effect and perfect outcome I need to tell them myself."

"Perfect for you?"

Artemis glanced at her and saw suspicion in her eyes.

"That's your room," she said pointing at a door. She turned to leave but Artemis called after her.

"The best for everyone." he said before turning into his room and closing the door.

An hour later Artemis was meditating in his room his hair wet from the shower and his usual suit in place when someone knocked at the door. Standing he opened the door to see Holly who had also had a shower.

"Come on quickly they're about to start the conference. I only noticed you weren't there because of the lack of smart comments."

"Well thanks a lot."

Grinning she ran down the corridor and Artemis had to run at full pelt to keep up with her. Eventually they started to slow down mainly because of Artemis' lack of stamina and started walking at a reasonably quick pace. Artemis ran his hand through his hair and rubbed his new eye then quickly stopped when he saw Holly was doing the same thing. They arrived just in time but they were already arguing although Artemis called it political discussion.

"Look lets just blow it up. The thing is destroying things and could start hurting people." Someone said who was identified as the head of the military office by a plaque on the table.

"I agree. The longer it's around the more damage it causes which in turn leads to repairing which costs money." Artemis didn't need to look at his plaque to know what he did. Financial adviser. Seeing a plaque with his name on it he sat down which hushed the table more effectively than gunshots. A mud man had never been so deeply involved in fairy activity especially not one so dangerous and important to the People. Some sneered at him others where scanning him up and down as if sizing up he ignored them all. Eventually Vinyaya who also had a chair and plaque said.

"Listen this arguing is getting us nowhere, we need to decide on something and decide quickly or we might be too late."

"I keep saying blow it out of the air." Said the military officer angrily.

"And I keep saying anything could happen if we did that. We don't know what it is or how it will react. It could be a lot worse than if we left it alone." Said the science advisor.

"We've got LEP officers surrounding it to warn us if anything happens." Someone said then the argument broke out again.

Under cover of this Artemis checked the computer in the desk in front of him and found a live feed of the Blue thing that looked like a materialisation. He stared at the light until he saw the things that told him he was right. He snapped the lid shut again which was sharp enough for everyone to look and fall silent.

"I suppose everyone knows why I'm here so I'll get straight into it" he paused he needed to time this right. "The only thing that we know that looks like this, is a materialisation so it follows that it is a form of this. We've seen materialisations, which are nowhere near as long as this one has been but those are appearances through space and time the only other option being that it's from another world." He paused again and the table was almost mesmerised which as matter of fact he could do apart from one who kept sneering at him like he was just making things up. He continued. "Through my research with time I have realised that there are other worlds which happen whenever a certain decision is made like the splintering of wood. The unbroken part being the past and the different splinters being the different realities. Starting to connect two worlds is the difficult bit you'd have to go back and to where they changed and then make a portal to the future of the world you want to go to. That's the difficult bit and getting to a specific world can take years of planning and trying. Once this connection is made as long as one person from lets say world one is in world two a shortcut can be made. That's what I think it is. The materialisation shouldn't be this messy so I think whoever are doing this are doing it in a hurry meaning something bad is happening. Believe me if they are clever enough to do it then they can control it. Once someone is here however the others can travel here a lot faster which is bad as the others will no doubt follow them and when they find us will exterminate this universe as well. I'm telling you now whatever comes out of that warp hole it will be bad and bring worse.

A long silence followed this most looked like he was mad others looked like he had a point but none looked like they believed him. They all were about to say something when the phone rang.

Everyone stared at it.

"That'll be the LEP keeping an eye on the portal saying something's coming out." Predicted Artemis out loud.

The fairy that had sneered at him the whole time quickly pressed conference button and unfamiliar voice crackled from the speakers.

"Hello, did you order a pizza?"

A pause then. "No we didn't."

"Oh sorry wrong number." And they hang up.

The sneering fairy suddenly smirked and was about to open his mouth to laugh derisively when…

The phone rang. This time came a different voice came out.

"Sir something's coming out of the blue hole. Something big."


	3. Blood and a cliche

Chapter 1

Commander Root cocked his gun barrel at the increasingly cracked steel door and the ten others followed suit. His robotic eye whizzed round taking in the situation while his normal eye stayed fixed on the door.

The last technician was working on an escape route but this had a small chance of success something to do with out of this world. His eye, which had a small computer in, told him the odds of them surviving the battle. They weren't very encouraging; they were about the same odds that one-day trolls would fly. 0.00001. Rather than this depressing figure he shouted.

"Make every shot count. We might not survive but that doesn't mean they have to."

The last of human and fairy kind nodded and charged there weapons ready for death to come crashing his way through the door. Next to him the only sane one of "them" known only as "The Alpha" looked like he always did, emotionless, his pale face contrasting with his dark hair twirling in his hands a custom built blade gun.

The Commander sighed and lit his last fungus cigar. It had been a long two years since the war broke out. Nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary. The Mud Men lived above, the fairies below and the criminals all around. Then… Well the details were a bit sketchy but no one cared about the past when the future held so much death and destruction. It had started with the Mud Men and in particular a certain mud man named as Professor Tawt. According to files he worked alone having little if any contact with the outside world. This kind of status would have been investigated but the council were too big headed not worrying because as they put it "he's only a Mud Man". Then merely two months later the Professor had come out and showed the world what he had been cooking up over the years. August, Friday the fourteenth, later known as the fateful day. He remembered seeing the video of that day at the Nobel Prize. Professor Tawt had come on with his brother to show a "complete change in society as we know it" as he had put it. The Professor had taken out a syringe with blood already inside it while he was speaking and with these last words injected it into his brother's arm. The reaction was immediate. His brother had doubled over then started writhing upon the floor. Many tried to get near enough to hold him down but were knocked back by the force of his struggles. Eventually his struggles died down and he sat up. No one, even later, could quite put their finger on how he had changed. But now the commander knew it was Alpha. The Professor passed him a metal bar about as long as his arm and about as thick as a troll. Alpha had broken as if it were a twig. He had then proceeded to perform other superhuman feats such as running at high speeds, jumping and so on by the end of it he wasn't even out of breath. None of these however were quite such a shock to the fairies compared to what Alpha did next. The Professor then preceded to hand his brother a short but sharp knife. Alpha had tested the blade the light glinting off its surface. Then quick as a flash he plunged the blade into his left arm. Many people screamed and Alpha ripping the blade out of his arm held it to the light to show it wasn't faked. The wound was bleeding badly now and the blood started dripping down onto the floor. Then what appeared to be electricity was knitting the wound back together blue sparks flying and in less than two seconds the wound was no longer there at all. To the scientists it was just another use of electricity; to the fairies it was something a lot more worrying. Magic. Not only did Alpha display all the powers of an average fairy he preceded to use magic fairies hadn't seen since humans lost their magic. This included a small amount of Telekinesis and Telepathic communication, which could be shown through a phone and not just other people.

It was supposed to be a step forward but had seemed like a step backward instead in later years.

Commander Root checked his gun one more time and then his last grenade if he was going down he was taking as many of "them" with him. For everyone's magic had run out years ago and they hadn't been able to perform the Ritual. The cracks widened and the door started melting in some places they could just see part of a red eye staring. Out of the corner of his eye he could see the technician working as fast as the computers would allow and then. The door broke apart and a horde of the monsters swept through. All the guns screamed in unison with the monsters as the shots tore through the air only to be dodged at the last second. Eventually a different scream rent the air as a monster tore out the man's stomach with its bare hands in the old days magic would help but that was the price for war. Retreating now and putting several bullets into the heads of some too close monsters while The Alpha cut off ones head and put bullet through the brain of another at the same time. Half were already down and being eaten, their blood and guts spewing everywhere. Suddenly one of the largest of the monsters jumped right over the head of the commander and threw a knife at the technician who had just raised his head and shouted.

"I did…"

Then the knife met his throat. Poor guy didn't stand a chance. He fell back upon the creation he had worked so hard for but hadn't been able to use in time blood now spurting over it. The portal was open. Bringing up his gun he aimed for the large monster, which had taken their friends life after his triumph. But the monster had been expecting it and was already upon the portal with the tremendous speed of his kind and with a blink he was gone. Grabbing the last fighter Alpha threw her right across the room and into the portal and running in after them.

Commander Root had his back against the portal fighting one fairy to a thousand of "them". Knowing this was a bit of a cliché but he had always loved Die Hard when he was young. He pulled out his grenade pulled out the pin and shouted as he threw.

"See you in hell vampires!!!"

He then jumped backwards and then he was gone.

5 hours later

The leaders of the vampires surveyed the scene and chuckled.

"I believe its time dear."

"Yesss but I doubt they realissse what they've done."

The chuckling soon became two sounds of pure evil cackling.

Good? Bad? Please review so I can get better. Or at least put you lot out of your misery.


	4. An immigrant

Happy New Year everyone! Here's the new chapter not that anyone will be waiting for it.

Chapter 4 An Immigrant...

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Artemis watched the world through the eyes of Holly on the computer screen while next to him Foaly tinkered about with some electronics. Usually Artemis would be dying to ask Foaly about it but he was to busy worrying about Holly. After a very hasty end to the meeting Vinyaya had ordered all forces to the field where the Warp hole had finally rested with only a handful of backup back at the city. Holly had insisted to go as well and although had eventually got it Vinyaya had refused point blank to take Artemis.

"Your more use back at HQ." She had said waspishly.

Personally however Artemis thought that it was more of an excuse so that she could get the limelight or maybe she was still sour at him.

It didn't really matter what had happened he was still stuck in here with Foaly watching through Holly's Helmet Cam as they flew closer feeling unusually helpless. The only thing that kept him calm was the need to formulate plans if anything should go wrong.

Holly landed next to Vinyaya who had already taken charge and was ordering everyone to surround the portal. Looking at the portal Holly at once saw a change. There was a dark shape, not quite round and not quite oval, getting steadily bigger like an eye adjusting to the dark.

Stepping forward so she was level with Vinyaya who was adjusting a shotgun looking version of the Neutrino while all around others checked their weapons or cocked them at the warp hole. Holly raised her weapon setting to "medium rare" as some put. If Artemis was right this was not going to be a stroll in the park and if so she was going to be ready. As she curled her finger around the trigger the scar at the base itched slightly. If hadn't been for Artemis she would've had a desk job years ago or a mechanical digit. She shook her head. Concentrate.

Back at HQ Foaly was typing away trying to see what the dark shape was. He zoomed in, zoomed out, tried lighting the picture and even hit the screen in frustration, but only gently it was one of his precious gas screens and cost a fortune. Artemis was still watching the screen intently. He hadn't seen someone so uptight he was after all about a mile away from the action and he had trouble no relaxing. He blinked every three seconds robotic like didn't seem to be breathing and was rigid in his chair. If hadn't been for the blinking he would of thought he was dead.

Artemis watched; as the shape became life size then fell out with much shrieking and flailing. Eventually it stood up having stopped shrieking and looked around. Its eyes were darting around faster than a normal eye can follow; it was about two and a half meters high and had muscles that would have shamed a sumo wrestler.

"Stop, right there or we fire," said Vinyaya through a megaphone.

The creature cocked its head to one side staring at her its eyes still with a blurred look.

"No one has to get hurt, just come quietly."

The creature looked around then straight back at Vinyaya and…

Charged

Now the Officers had never expected this. Sometimes when someone does something so mind numbingly stupid you sort of freeze and not react. Unfortunately this happened to the officers for about two seconds. Then one of the officers screamed as he was batted aside like a cobweb and then the spell was broken. Vinyaya was first to react, dropping the megaphone she started running after the creature letting loose scattered shots from her Neutrino SG with Holly right behind her shooting whenever she got a clear shot. The creature however was running backwards faster than any of them could run forward and dodging the shots so fast that he seemed to teleport. Soon he was out of range and heading straight for Haven.

"Wings" said Holly and she was soon pursuing above with Vinyaya and three others behind.

"D'Arvit" said Foaly in her helmet. This was bad. She had never known Foaly to swear.

Looking back Holly could see the rest watching the portal, weapons ready. It had started getting darker again.

Foaly had just been thinking about Caballine when the commotion started. He watched as Holly and the rest took flight then muttered "D'Arvit".

Artemis so far had not said a word. Foaly looked at him or at least where he had been. He was gone. Puzzled Foaly scanned the room apart from a slight heat haze it was empty. Foaly turned on the coolers. Humans couldn't shield.

Could they?

* * *

Well I'm sure that it could be better. Read and Review. I might be faster. 


	5. and a funeral

Thanks to my reviewers who gave me the strength to write again so quickly.

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Chapter 5

And A Funeral

Holly flew after the creature gun trained on it waiting to be in range. The creature was still moving as fast as ever right towards Haven and even when flying it was difficult to keep up with it. Suddenly the gates to Haven, with much rusty screeching, started to close, the guards must have seen it coming. Although the creature was fast, the gates were faster and with a great clanging, shut. Normal criminals or enemies would usually give up at this point and hope the police had mercy on them. The gates were made to withstand anything apart from a few things, that was why Opal had wanted to use a hundred million tonnes of haematite in freefall to crush Haven last time she was out. Holly shook her head; the sooner they caught Koboi the better for everyone. The same goes for that creature whatever it was. Despite the gates the creature carried on regardless.

"Oh no it wouldn't" Foaly started to say in her helmet.

He never finished that sentence because suddenly there was a great screeching and clanging of metal as the creature went right through the gates without stopping leaving a rather comical shape in the metal. The sort of thing you'd expect from a Tom and Jerry cartoon.

"Holy BEEP" said Vinyaya in her helmet. Usually life doesn't have censorship but Foaly was in charge of the radio waves.

Unfortunately fairies weren't made for going through gates like that so they flew over instead. The streets, the shops even the cars were deserted but for one blurred dot which jumped over cars and buses as if they were hurdles. Landing on top of one it looked back and seeing the pursuers leaped down and into a side passage.

"Why are the streets deserted Foaly" asked Holly

"Emergency City Code 3. Everyone back to their houses best used in cases like this."

""Cases like this?" You make this sound normal."

"I've said it before and I'll say it again be prepared for the unexpected and with you and Artemis around the unexpected is expected."

"Yeah yeah." Suddenly a thought struck her. "Where is Artemis I haven't heard a thing out of control freak."

"Ah, yes, well he seems to of disappeared."

"What???"

"Enough, concentrate on that thing. Artemis can dig himself out of his own hole." Vinyaya snapped.

The creature would of lost them if it hadn't got to a dead end. They found it trying to jump over the high wall but whatever fuel this monster ran on it had obviously run out of most of it but was still faster than any human or fairy. Vinyaya was ahead bearing down, gun ready. The creature turned. There was no warning this time. Vinyaya raised her shotgun and fired. This close would normally never miss. But these were not normal and the creature jumped over the shots, landed on his hands pushed off and landed on top of Vinyaya. Before any of them could sink a shot into him it grabbed a shoulder and the jaw and half ripped her head off letting the blood flow into its mouth. But that wasn't the only thing to flow into its mouth; her magic, which came to heal the wound, was sucked in as well. Holly, automatically it seemed, shot it right in the head. The blast knocked it back but didn't seem to do anything else. It glared at her glowing magically blue but seeing the other three coming behind her merely jumped over the wall it had trouble with earlier with sudden apparent ease.

Holly bent down but the damage was done. Not even magic could help her now. Blood still pumped from the rip in her skin but somehow managed to say one last thing.

"Give me my gun cough I'm going to shoot the bastard."

Then there was a horrible squelching and coughing noise and then nothing.

The world seemed to stand still. Holly's memory flashed to that night several years ago, still fresh in the mind of fairies. She remembered the gloating face of Opal Koboi on a screen, octobonds tightening around Commander Root and then…

Holly shook her head, the Creature…Revenge. She stood up suddenly, she blinked slightly faster than usual but no tears came. Those would come later. Flipping the gun switch to troll packs she quickly flew over the wall followed by two of the three; the last one was calling a paramedic team to dispose of the body. Holly recognized them as Oak and Pearl but wasn't to sure about anything else about them. Over the wall was a park mainly dark because of the destroyed sun strips, but that made it easier to see the blue aura that the creature's stolen magic gave off. It was moving faster than ever like it had been given an overdose of caffeine. Most of the trees had already been snapped as if they were merely twigs and their leaves fell like snow even from up here.

"Scan the area" Said Holly taking command. "Oak takes the left, Pearl take the centre, I'll take the right."

They didn't argue in some situations you'd take orders from anyone who seems to know what they're doing. They immediately split and flew about 7 meters apart. Looking around everywhere waiting for a flicker of blue or red on the heat vision. They were about halfway over when it happened.

"Holly" said Pearl quickly. "It's benea…" 

The creature however didn't seem to like final words as he never finished that sentence. Holly looked to her left just in time to see a blue blur moving faster than a human eye could follow going right through Pearl's body. Or at least that was where it had been; it had vanished. No scream, no bloody noise just disappeared leaving the head and the dismembered joints, which sprayed blood in every direction like champagne bottles at the F1 Grand Prix awards ceremony, to fall sickly to the ground.

Language is a wonderful thing; it is one of the things that split intelligent and dumb races. However no words have ever been devised by fairy or human kind that would describe the horror of the moment. And I use horror as the nearest thing you can get to it.

Looking up Holly saw the creature coming down still with a blue aura around it somehow without conscious thought she started shooting at it, but somehow it still dodged the shots both from her and from Oak. It landed on the ground without a single shot hitting him and was gone again.

"D'Arvit" she thought, "it escaped again."

It was like being hunted down. Actually scratch that it was being hunted down. The creature would wait and then attack the unlucky one. Heads or Tails? Death seemed to say. She shook her head again, just her imagination.

Barely three seconds later Oak fell out of the sky and started screaming. Quickly she flew over not thinking and landed by him or what was left of him. His entire suit, the helmet even skin underneath, was gone leaving a bloody pile of organs and bones. It looked as if he had jumped out of his skin. Pardon the pun. She was just about to take flight again when it landed right behind her knocking her wings off her back and spewing petrol all around them. She quickly rolled away aiming her handgun at the spot where she had been. The creature was still there not having moved, grinning inanely, scraping its claws against each other, causing sparks to go everywhere including onto the petrol.

A ring of fire suddenly plumed right around them causing the air to get very hot, very quickly. Only the coolers in her suit caused her not to fry. The creature didn't seem to mind the fire and was still gazing at her head slightly to one side. All of this takes a long time to say but in reality only took a few seconds and in those few seconds she had let loose a couple of wide shots. This time instead of merely dodging, it went so fast it seemed to teleport behind her. The shots hit a nearby tree and the tree disintegrated. Foaly hadn't been wrong, the new Neutrino was almost too powerful. Then the creature grabbed her by the neck pulling her up into the air above its head and to someone who was just 1cm below meter that was a long way to fall. Instead of dropping her it threw her against a tree. Before she could get up however the creature was upon her, knocking her gun out of her hand and landing on top of her. It raised it's head in triumph ready to sink his mouth in the same spot as Vinyaya.

Holly had spot something the creature didn't. A heat haze had formed right behind it but unlike the rest was glowing blue. Strange. Then instead there was Artemis glowing with a blue aura just like the creature, holding a gun by the muzzle and like a golfer swings at the ball, swung at the creatures head. There was a nasty snapping noise as the creatures head spun away into the darkness moving faster than the neutrino's shots. Later it would be discovered buried into the city gates its face set into a permanent expression of triumph.


	6. a question of worlds

_For those waiting sorry I haven't updated but I've been busy lately. Anyway here it is. Remember to review. _

A Question Of Worlds

The world is full of questions. We seek an answer for them and sometimes we find the answers but there will always be another question to replace that. Questions breed like desperate rats and no matter how long you search you won't get an answer for all of them. That's why many search for the answer to the ultimate question, as it will answer all. Unfortunately we don't really know what the question is.

Holly seemed to have quite a few questions bubbling up like a coke bottle and eventually it would burst. Artemis was looking away slightly not meeting her eyes. She couldn't tell whether he was embarrassed or thinking. Taking off the wings that, he had on and passing it to her. She took them and then the bottle popped.

"Why are you here? How did you do that? How long have you been able to use magic? Where did you get the wings? And…"

Artemis interrupted. "Slow down, my brain may be able to keep up but my mouth can't speak that fast."

Holly took a deep breath. "Why are you here?"

"My dear Holly, what would have happened if I hadn't?"

"That's not answering my question."

Artemis gestured towards HQ. "Let's walk and talk."

"Negative" said Foaly on loudspeaker, face appearing on Holly's helmet. "We have more things coming out of that portal and the team is screaming for bloody murder on whatever comes out of there. I'm with them but they need organizing and I want the next specimen in one piece."

Holly ground her teeth slightly; she had hoped there wouldn't be anymore one had been catastrophic enough.

"On my way Foaly" Turning to Artemis. "We'll continue this later. How are you going to get there?"

Artemis pointed to an abandoned car just outside the park. "We could how you say commandeer that car."

"What? Steal it?"

"Well, commandeer is just another word for it so I suppose so yes."

Holly shrugged. "Fine by me."

It was only until they were in the car that Artemis realised he couldn't hotwire a fairy car; actually come to that he couldn't hotwire at all that was for common thieves. Maybe a few tricks of the trade were useful to know. Luckily the starter chip was in the car and in a few minutes they were speeding out of town towards the portal.

Foaly hadn't been wrong chaos was reigning mainly for the frontal positions. It took Holly a while to take charge but eventually everyone was at the front, at different altitudes their wings keeping them in the air all guns pointing towards the portal. The shape was nearly life size and the air was so tense you could of played it like guitar strings. Three figures came through. The first was a human about 30 with many scars on her face, which paled when she saw the almost solid wall in front of him. He made to raise his weapon, which was nothing like anything else they had and then seemed to think better of it. The second was just like the creature but looked around as if bored then put down its weapons down, also unique, and raised its arms. But it was the third figure that really took everyone by surprise. Holly goggled. No she had seen him die years ago. He blew up no one could fix that. But there he was. He may have a robotic eye a few more scars and redder than ever but many still recognized him. Commander Julius Root. He also put his weapon down and raised his arms. He then turned to the human.

"It really isn't our day is it?"

They were all in separate cells. All four of them. Artemis had been locked in just so Holly could get some straight answers out of him, while Foaly was taking apart all of the weapons and armour they had brought with them. Normally Holly wouldn't have this sort of power but she had been made acting commander the council were still deciding the next commander. At present she was going to use as much as possible to get some answers, starting with Artemis.

Artemis was hooked up to a machine when she entered. Lie detectors have of course been around for a long time but were still pretty inaccurate that's why they weren't used often. This of course is a human view as Foaly had made a completely accurate one when he was 20 (to fairies that's about 5 to humans). Artemis raised his eyebrows when she entered.

"Really Holly is all this necessary? A cell and a lie detector?"

It didn't really bother Holly that Artemis knew what the machine was it wasn't really a secret. What did annoy her was Foaly interrupting her from a speaker.

"A lie detector?" Foaly said. "That is a very complicated piece of machinery. It detects brain activity in the imaginative area, which says if you're making it up or not."

"But it still detects lies?"

"Yes," said Foaly slightly disgruntled.

"So why not call it a lie detector?"

"………"

"Oh, shut up about the machine it does its job, which reminds me get back to yours Foaly and don't interrupt. I want some answers and I don't want Artemis finding an excuse to avoid giving them."

"Right away Commander" Holly knew he would be grinning as he said this.

Turning to Artemis who still looked totally undisturbed as if she was in the cell.

"Yes it is necessary Artemis. You've just used some form of magic only the creature that killed Vinyaya used. I want to know how long you've been using magic and what happened tonight along with a slice of why?"

"Holly you've seen me use magic before."

"No half answers, Fowl an answer."

Artemis sighed and wondered if she'd always been like this.

"Okay, an answer." He thought for a moment. "You've known that I used magic during the time tunnel problem. What you didn't know was I didn't quite lose all of my magic when we got back but I had little so I needed to recharge it. You know how to do it and I got the ritual from…"

"The Book?"

"Yes. As a result I found out that human magic isn't completely like fairy magic. It's slightly more aggressive. As magic is a form of energy I used it to put a bit more force into my muscles. I suppose the vampire was partly human to use that kind of magic."

"Vampire?"

"Can you think of a better name?"

Several nasty ones popped into her head but none that she could say let alone all the time.

"As for tonight I had already said what would happen and had formulated what to do. As soon as it started I shielded as "borrowed" a set of wings and a Neutrino and went hunting for y… it and caught up with it just as it killed Vinyaya."

"Why didn't you shoot it?"

"Holly, my shots would have just given away my position, you saw it shake off your shots. Anyway luckily it never noticed me as it was concentrated on you and then well, I killed it. As for why…" He looked away. "That's my business."

Holly checked the screen of the lie detector. It had flat lined through out the whole of the interview.

She chuckled slightly. "Artemis the Vampire Slayer" and snorted again.

"Better than Holly the Vampire's Meal" he said also grinning.

"Hey, I had him just where I wanted him until you killed him first." This proved too much for both of them and for a while they just laughed. I mean if you can't laugh what can you do? Take up politics?

Presently they got a hold on themselves and moved on to the others starting with the human.

5 minutes later they were no wiser as the only thing she said was "I don't know anything. I'm just a soldier. I settle things with my gun and fists.

The creature was even less helpful as he didn't react at all not even an emotion or a blink.

They had put off the supposed Commander Root until last. I mean what do you say to someone who has died in this world?

Commander Root was the leader so could say what he wanted. He told them the history of the world before the vampires, which seemed pretty similar to theirs. The experiment and the pretty much hopeless situation they had left.

"So humans and fairies both infected themselves with this experiment becoming mindless killers with power."

"What about that guy you were with he's one of them but not like that."

"He was the original before the mindlessness was added. We call him Alpha. I suppose he didn't say or do a thing?"

Artemis shook his head.

"He used to be full of life before the war so it wasn't the experiment. Personally I think he's fuelled on revenge on his brother."

"What's his brother got to do with it?" said Holly puzzled.

"Didn't I say? His brother's the one who brought out the experiment and pretty much destroyed the world single handily."

Holly and Artemis looked at each other.

"Now I've got a question for you." Commander Root said. "Where am I?"

Before they could answer Foaly was on loudspeaker again.

"Holly quickly more of the holes are appearing all over and under the world."

Artemis turned to Root.

"Now you're here. Welcome to the end of the World."

_Maybe I need to give a bit more information about the other world. What do you think? After all your opinions are the ones that count. _


	7. A series of rather horrible events

A Series of Rather Horrible Events

Chaos.

Utter Chaos.

It was like telling the police there were only three doughnuts left. Fights were breaking out all over Haven as everyone tried to get away as portals were opening at random everywhere. Atlantis had already gone under with the sheer brute force of vampires. It wasn't just the cities either. There had been a very nasty case with a farm. The occupants had been asleep when the portal opened. When the police arrived they had found blood drenched rooms and a few fragments. The biggest piece they could find was a single eyeball. If it hadn't been for the chaos the press would of got hold of that at once. The council had fled along with some of the faster refugees. It was every person for themselves now. The only stable organization left in Haven was the police.

Artemis watched the madness on screen in Foaly's den. Everything was bathed in a perpetual twilight thanks to the destroyed sun strips as looters smashed shop windows and desperate evacuees smashed their cars through the traffic jam to get out as fast as possible. The police couldn't handle this, so many had died already when the first portals opened. It took about 10 shots from a Neutrino at once to stun one of the vampires and there were simply too many of them to justify that and still more come through. Indeed unless something was done soon the fairy races were facing extinction. There was talk of bio bombing everywhere.

It was the same on the surface if not a lot better. It is part of human nature to be competitive usually in war. So a countless amount of creatures that want to kill them is something that will keep them busy. At least they'll stop killing each other so much. As this was part of their nature also their weapons were designed to be death dealers, which, against the vampires, were a lot more effective than a neutrino.

"A sad day in Fairy history if they have turn to humans for help," Artemis thought. "It was bad enough he was involved without the whole of the human race as well." Artemis glanced Holly and saw the anguish and pain eyes. "Well its not everyday everything you know is destroyed." He thought glumly.

Alpha, Root and the human (recently identified as Ms Charlie Black) had all been released from their cells, they all had a common enemy and after all the enemy of the enemy is my friend. They were holding a private council trying to decide what to do. But really there was only one answer. Artemis knew it and feared it but it would have to be done.

"How about we import weapons from the mud men," said Root. "At least then we can properly fight back then."

"We can't" replied Holly. "We don't have enough resources or people for it to have value. We should protect with the forces we have try and keep as many civilians protected as possible."

"We can't do that. Nowhere is safe these portals pop up anywhere. Coupled with the fact that we have rubbish weapons we can't protect with."

"Enough!!!"

Artemis stood up.

"Both of you have good points but both have big flaws. We can't get a lot of weapons as its too chaotic. We can't save the people as they are making it difficult and there is nowhere truly safe. No. We need to go deeper and stop the portals along with the creator."

"How exactly do you plan on doing that?" Root asked.

He spoke coolly and Artemis could see the disbelief in his eyes. But Holly knew he had a plan and that alone would fuel him.

He looked squarely back at Root and said to Foaly. "Tell me Foaly, what happened Opal Koboi."

Perplexed slightly Foaly said.

"Well, she got taken in by the original portal didn't she?"

"Precisely, and what made it so easy for the vampires to come here?"

"Didn't you say it had something to do with others being in this universe and… Ahhh." Foaly's eyes widened.

"That's what we are going to do. We open a portal using Opal in the other universe as an anchor. We send Alpha, Root and Ms Black back that will stop the portals here and will allow us to kill the vampires at our leisure, without them being replaced. And as they have rather over extended themselves it will be safer in the other world with fewer vampires. They won't be expecting a counter attack either, giving us the advantage. If the creator is still alive he must have some control or weapon against the vampires, which will us help wipe them out completely."

A long silence followed this pronouncement as they digested the plan.

"Who do you mean by "us"?" asked Charlie.

"Well you, Alpha and Root have to go," said Artemis sitting down again. "Otherwise the portals will carry on opening. I'm obviously going because I can't very well go home knowing what's happening in your world and…"

"Hang on" interrupted Holly. "If you are going I'm going too."

Artemis nodded. "Agreed."

But Holly could tell his word was hollow and see it in his eyes that if he had his way she wouldn't be coming. This just made her more defiant to go.

"Well" said Foaly. "I'll stay behind then and look after you from the safety of my shuttle."

"Okay, it's settled. Foaly I need you to open a portal to the other universe. Oh and try and make duplicates of Alpha's weapons." He added as his eyes fell on them. "Holly help me pack. And you lot can rest up. You'll need it."

As soon as Artemis and Holly were gone Root turned to Foaly.

"Is he always like that?" Jabbing his thumb where Artemis had been.

Foaly chuckled. "Yeah, the only child that treats everyone else like a child."

"Great, I'm going to be playing nanny to some baby just out of the crib."

Foaly chuckled again. "Yeah but that baby stole candy from the adults."

_Hope to update again soon. What lies in wait in the other universe? Remember to Read and Review. _


	8. To infinity and beyond

Through Infinity and Beyond

Artemis had troubled dreams that night. He dreamt of his parents and his brothers. Of Butler and Minerva. Of Foaly, Mulch Diggums and his collections of art. All the things he would never come back too and miss if things went wrong. Theoretically nothing would go wrong but life has an unconscious habit of not being theoretical. He woke up feeling distinctly un-rested and berated himself silently for allowing himself to worry.

Artemis entered Foaly's lab to see Foaly tinkering with the shuttle that had brought him here, while Alpha was twirling what looked like two police batons. Artemis recognized them as Tonfa, a Southeast Asian weapon, illegal in many countries and often used in martial arts. You don't spend all your life with the most dangerous man in the world and not learn these things. But they were slightly different to the average tonfa. Instead of a club it was a blade and at the end of the blade it curved outwards in a V shape into not one but two points leaving a hole in the middle. Why? Artemis soon found as Alpha raised the modified tonfa, where a small scope was attached to the handle, and shot five rounds at a target before returning it to its holster. Although he had shot five rounds at the target and all of them had hit there was only one mark on the target, which was in the bull's eye. Alpha turned and saw Artemis. His face showed no emotion, no fear, no joy and barely a flicker of life. If Artemis had ever seen a ghost he would agree that a ghost had more life in its face than the creature that stood before him. Alpha seemed to sense this as he turned away and shot another five rounds into the target all in the same place. Artemis walked over to the bench beside Alpha, which had 8 tonfa guns on it all in pairs. Alpha said without turning round.

"Two of them are for you."

Artemis stared at him or at least his back.

"I can't use them, I never used them before!"

"You'll soon learn or" BANG "die."

As he picked up a pair in their holsters Artemis noticed that the blade opened into a V shape when you were firing and closed when you stopped. But what shocked him the most was the symbol on the handles of the tonfa guns. It looked like a kite split in 4 with a circle in the middle and chains coming off it and wrapping itself around the handle. The symbol was horribly familiar to him.

"Where did you this symbol from?" he demanded of Alpha pointing at the engraving.

Alpha turned again, his eyebrows raised at the tone in Artemis' voice.

Seeing what he was pointing at his eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"How do you know that symbol?"

"I'm asking the questions; where did you get this symbol from?"

Alpha scowled at him and for a moment his face was alive again. Then it was gone, replaced by the customary emotionless.

"It was on my first weapon I ever needed to use. I put it on all my others as a lucky charm."

But Artemis could tell he wasn't telling the whole truth. But before he could continue Foaly clopped over and the subject was closed. Foaly looked as tired as he felt, but never the less he looked cheerful.

"Ah, so you found them." Gesturing towards the tonfa guns. "Alpha made them you know. Will never run out of bullets for some reason or at least that's what Alpha said. Designed and made for killing," he added looking very distasteful.

Artemis understood why he was distasteful and had to say he agreed. Fairies had always preferred to stun rather than kill enemies. Human weapons in comparison were cruel. But even Artemis who was no weapons expert saw that these were for killing alone and as a result seemed to give off an aura of cruelty and power unlike anything humans had ever developed. Alpha didn't seem to notice this and used the weapons casually.

"Come over here Artemis and see some quality FAIRY workmanship."

Foaly trotted over to his bench on which was a suit exactly like Artemis' only seemed slightly thicker and heavier.

"I've never need to make human suits before," said Foaly rubbing his hands together. "The suit is like the standard LEP suits only it has less functions as I had such short notice. However what it does do is quite extraordinary. The suit has coolers and heaters. It will also protect your magic from the sun now you have some. But here's the clever bit. It locks on to the particles around you had forces them away from you but they will then mould back to place when you get out of influence. However this won't work on things like bullets, which move to fast to be influenced. This can be turned on by twisting the middle button clockwise and off by anticlockwise. A power cell at the back, which recharges with the suns rays, powers all this. It is also bullet proof and shock proof. But don't test it in the other world," he added with a whisper. "If all the weapons are like those ones over there then I can't guarantee anything. Oh and promise me two things. One as soon as you've finished destroy those weapons. Weapons of such horror should never be made. And two," He smiled. "Keep Holly safe. I have a very bad feeling about this one."

At that moment Holly, Commander Root and Charlie came in. Holly looked at the guns and recoiled, but Root and Charlie didn't seem to mind just like Alpha so Holly took a pair too. Presently they all sat in front of the big wall screen on which was the anatomy of a vampire.

"Right" said Foaly speaking to everyone now. "The anatomy of a vampire is much like a humans. All the organs are in the right place and so is the overall structure. However I managed to do a bit of an autopsy on the first one and there are several differences. The skin, the bones, the muscles and all the senses are all enhanced to be a lot stronger. That's why Alpha made the weapons to combat this." Again that same look of distaste appeared on his face. "However I haven't finished the autopsy mainly on the head." The screen flickered and then zoomed in on the head. "What the scans show is that some kind of parasite exists on the brain. This kills the conscious thought in the brain but also enhances the senses. That however is all I know about them. On the portal side however we have had immeasurable success." The screen flickered again and changed to Opal's seeker-sleeper. "We used the signal to track down the other universe allowing us to create a tunnel. Unluckily she would have already removed by now. However it might help us lead us closer to her. Remember your prime target is to find the Creator and make him do something about the vampires, but I wouldn't put it past Opal to already be in league with him. So we find Opal, we find the Creator. I'll still be able to keep in contact with you but I don't to draw attention to myself so I'll limit that. Last thing; shoot to kill. If you ever feel you are killing a person, don't. They've lost their minds and are therefore dead already merely creatures meant to kill. That's all any questions?"

"Yes," said Holly. "Can you become a vampire if you're near to a vampire?"

"Ah, yes. You can but it has to travel by blood to blood and your magic will soon take care of it even if you do. If that is all you better get going. The sooner your gone the faster this world can be fixed."

Foaly then turned to open the portal to the other world.

Artemis climbed into the passenger seat while Holly strapped herself into the drivers and Alpha, Root and Charlie squeezed into the back. Holly started up the engine and waited for the portal to open. For a minute there was nothing. Then there was something, a tiny dot of light. Then like a Spirograph creating a pattern the dot became a portal just like the one that had started all of this. Holly gave the thumbs up to Foaly who returned it. Time to leave. She took one last look at her world, but not wanting to get sentimental she shot craft forward into the portal.

_This bit took longer than I thought. Hope to update soon as always. How does Artemis know the symbol? And what is the sinister story behind it? Remember Read and Review, please._


	9. The Vampire Hospital

The Vampire Hospital

Blue scores of lightning scored itself across the windscreen as they went further towards the beacon of Opal's seeker sleeper leaving no mark to speak of. Then the whole craft started to shake like in an earthquake and Holly's hands tightened around the wheel. Shuddering was getting worse and the lightning was leaving deeper and deeper cracks. It was doubtful whether the ship could go on without shattering. Artemis had his mouth clenched as if holding back sick. Root was as rigid as statue and almost as pale while Charlie's face was turning steadily. Alpha however was polishing his blade looking utterly relaxed. Holly got the feeling that a volcano could erupt next to him and he would still carry on polishing his weapon. Suddenly like a cork out of a bottle the pushed them out into a radically different world from the one they had left.

It had obviously been a great city once. But the buildings had no glass in any of the windows, while some floors had collapsed and still others were merely dust and larger versions of the scaffolding you sometimes see around destroyed buildings. Still others, mainly skyscrapers, had fallen over completely giving a domino sort effect as a whole series of buildings had collapsed causing great mountains of concrete. The streets below them were stuck in an eternal traffic jam and although they looked largely undamaged there was one car with its top ripped off like a can and what looked like blood everywhere. But the city was far from still. For human figures were running about, destroying anything in their path and indeed including one another. Somewhere running up walls of the less collapsed buildings.

It took Holly a while to take it all in and she was speechless. When speech did return she couldn't find the words she needed. Luckily Artemis was there.

"What the hell happened here?" Oh, very fluent and graceful Artemis Holly thought.

Artemis seemed to think so too as he coughed and hastily revised his question.

"What happened to this great city of great cities?" Okay, that was too high and mighty thought Holly.

Root came through and looked out the windscreen looking unsurprised and nowhere near shocked.

"All the cities look like this now. The names are easily forgotten as they loose both inhabitants and land marks. If I were you I'd carry on after that signal," he continued pointing at the screen towards the dot that was the seeker sleeper. "That's our objective so let's get on with it. Oh and go quietly we don't want any more hassle from the vampires than need be." He added looking down at the ground.

As they flew through the destruction they saw more and more signs of it while the only light poked through the dust that surrounded everywhere like an orange fog. The seeker sleeper guided them to a hospital or what was left of a hospital. It had been cleaved in half by one of the fallen buildings. The vampire rate seemed larger here than anywhere else in the city. Typical.

When they landed they had a quick council.

"It will be faster if we split up." Said Charlie.

"I suggest we keep together." Disagreed Artemis. "Although slower our own well being is more important than speed for the moment."

"Agreed" said Root. "We also have a location giving us no need to search."

"The seeker sleeper is located in this room on the second floor," said Holly pointing at a dot in the middle of a 3-D projection of the building. "It's behind the fallen building so we'll need to find a way through."

"Right, if that's settled let's go." Said Charlie standing up.

"Hang on." Exclaimed Artemis. "We can't just go crashing in. This is Opal Koboi we're talking about. She would of thought of this and arranged something."

"We don't have time to imagine up a great big conspiracy." Said Root firmly. "Counter tactics and strategy went out the window when this war started. The monsters don't even know the meaning of strategy. Hell, they don't even have a language. How can they have a trap?"

Holly could see the firmness in Root's eyes and knew he wouldn't change his mind. Artemis seemed to notice this too as he didn't argue. But Holly couldn't help noticing Artemis whispering to Alpha as they left who nodded silently.

The journey through the hospital was tense. They moved from wall to wall keeping to the shadows and being as quiet as possible. A few vampires past but none of them saw or heard them. But they got lucky and managed to reach a point where they could sneak through the building blocking the other side of the hospital. It was like the whole building had turned 90 degrees to the left. They had to run softly with their tonfa guns drawn along the wall jumping over the doorways in their floor.

On the other side Holly said, "The room with the seeker sleeper is just down the corridor on the right."

"Hang on." Interrupted Charlie. "Where's Alpha?"

They looked around but although Alpha hardly said anything he did have a physical presence, which was not there. He had gone.

"He can look after himself." Said Root. "He'll probably meet us back at the ship he probably took a wrong turning or something but lets get back to priority 1, the seeker sleeper."

Holly however couldn't help remembering an image of Artemis whispering in Alpha's ear.

Next thing she knew however they were outside the room with the tracker in. They edged inside to find some kind of computer lab most of them unusually unbroken. The ceiling was tiled and the blood and body of many a scientist lay over nearly everything. But in the middle of the room on top of a small T.V lay something small, bloody and rusty. Holly recognized it. It was the seeker sleeper they had gone to find. They approached cautiously and Holly picked up the tracker. As soon as she did the T.V it was on top of turned and on it was a face. A face they recognized.

"Oho I didn't think you'd fall into this one," said Opal Koboi in obvious high glee. "I thought you were too clever to fall in this trap." As she said this, the door behind them swung shut of its own accord and sealed itself. "Holly I have tried to kill you before and it cost me. I shan't make that mistake again. Oh and Artemis is here too excellent and no Butler too. Tell me Artemis what is a tactician without a soldier? Nothing that's what. Commander Root too, well I've killed you before and I can do it again the others at the same time as well. And that lady in the background, don't know you never will now and honestly I couldn't care."

Charlie bristled at this and said, "So how do you intend on killing us?"

"Well I'd like it drawn out like starvation, never tried that before. But I made that mistake last time so unfortunately it's quick but painful." She added with an evil grin.

At that moment the ceiling collapsed in four places out of which came 6 vampires from each hole.

Holly was suddenly back-to-back with the other three drawing her tonfa guns. She was surprised how much they were like neutrino's, weighted but not heavy but it still made her skin crawl to touch them.

Opal was cackling evilly on the T.V saying things.

"Who should I choose to kill first? Or maybe I'll leave them to instinct. How abou…"

Her voice was drowned out as not the ceiling collapsed but the floor under 6 of the vampires did. They fell through the hole and out of it jumped Alpha.

"Now that's what I call earth-shattering results." Said Charlie.

"Never mind the clever movie quips now." Shouted Root running towards the new hole. "Leave that to the writers later."

"No, Not again" shrieked Opal. "Kill them, Kill them."

The vampires were after them needing no more encouragement. They would have killed them all if not for Alpha and his fast shooting, killing 3 and slowing the rest as they dodged the bullets. Artemis was last through the hole then followed by Alpha who was still shooting as he ran…backwards. They got to the building on its side and the vampires were catching up. Pulling out a grenade Artemis threw it, not at the vampires but up into one of the doors above him. Although the explosion was no larger than normal the building was old and crumbling. The shockwaves past right through the whole building shaking the whole thing until like a house of cards in slow motion started collapsing. Alpha over took him now not needing to shoot back. The floor before him was collapsing and the corridor stretched ahead much longer than when they had come down it. The others were already at the end hardly noticing the crumbling building behind. Alpha jumped over the last great gap to the safe corridor beyond. But Artemis couldn't make it especially with the gap getting bigger any minute. Then something nudged him inside his brain. Of course Magic. And not for the first or last time he called upon his magic to strengthen his jump at the last minute. Nnnnooooottttttt yyyyeeeeettttttt. Now!!! He didn't just jump he threw himself towards the ledge shattering the world long jump record of course no one recorded it. Typical. Artemis slammed into the wall under the ledge trying to grasp the ledge but his fingers slipped and fell……… Till someone caught him. He looked up to see the brown face and red hair of Holly holding onto him.

She grinned. "Keep up mud boy."

They were back in the ship now flying as fast away as they could. They were heading towards the sea as the best place to spend the night. It wasn't over run with vampires anyway. But as they past over the water they suddenly knew where they were. For the remnants of the Statue of Liberty poked from the sea as if claiming one final breath before drowning.

The great city of New York once one of the largest cities in the world was now no more than the biggest ruin in the world.

* * *

_This might be my last update for a while. I'm getting serious writers block and I might not be able to shift it._


	10. The Signal

_I've managed to shift my writer's block at last sorry it took so long. Please review it makes it easier to write the next chapter._

_Thanks to those who have reviewed._

_Anyway onto the chapter._

* * *

The Signal

Artemis' shift was just coming to an end. They had decided to set up a watch as soon as they landed on the waves. Well technically they hadn't landed, the pod was hovering about a foot above the water, it wasn't meant to be a boat. The first few tries in the water had been both uncomfortable and wet so they had decided to leave it hovering.

Artemis scanned the radar, radio and all the other fairy devices for anything unusual. The engine was ticking over all right; the radar was picking up only a small amount of fish and the radio just sat there quiet as the grave. Artemis yawned and started to fall into a meditative coma.

How had Opal been able to control the vampires?

How could she of created a trap in the day she had been away?

Did Hol…

A hand on his shoulder broke in on his thoughts. Turning he saw it belonged to Holly.

"My shift now Artemis."

Artemis grinned. "You know it's supposed me who wakes you up."

Holly shrugged. "Couldn't sleep."

Artemis stood up but made no motion to leave. There was a rather awkward pause.

"Artemis"

"Yes Holly"

"How do you think things are at home?"

"Well, we closed the easy way through to our world so less vampires will be getting through."

Holly gave him a sideways look. "What do you really think, not a theory."

Artemis held her gaze before looking away. Thinking of his family, Butler, Mulch Diggums and then of the vampires. The monsters that tore people apart for fun. That watched people die for comedy. That had the power to bring the world to its knees. "I really don't know."

"Maybe Foaly will tell us if he makes contact." Said Holly reaching out again and putting her hand on Artemis' shoulder (she could barely reach). Artemis put his hand on top of Holly's. She was very close now. Artemis could see her mismatched eyes looking into his.

Artemis had never had this kind of experience before. Saving the world didn't allow time for romance not unless you believe in those lying James Bond films. But this wasn't a film.

**_It's a book. And I'm the narrator and I can do whatever I want. Like this._**

Artemis leaned in closer to Holly.

The intercom on the controls of the ship started to crackle.

"Holly, Holly. Can you read me? Please respond. Repeat Holly, Holly please respond."

Foaly's voice cut through the atmosphere almost as affectively than someone breaking wind. Almost.

D'Arvit

Both Artemis and Holly thought this at the same time.

Holly snatched up the intercom while Artemis sank down in one of the nearby seats.

"What is it Foaly we read you loud and clear."

"Just giving you an update on what's happening here and checking up on you."

"Oh we're fine." Said Holly very sarcastically. "We arrived in ruined version of New York, got chased by twenty vampires led by Opal Koboi, had a rotten cheese for supper and got interrupted while…" she glanced at Artemis who had gone into pout mode that made him look adorable. "While in the middle of an important discussion."

"Ah yes about the rotten cheese."

Despite the crackling of the radio Holly could hear Foaly scuffing his hooves.

"WHAT ABOUT THE ROTTEN CHEESE??" Holly shouted.

"Wellllll. Its erm…"

"ITS WHAT??"

"Wellallyourfoodisrottenoutofdaterubbishthatwasputinyourshipinsteadofthebin."

Holly frowned. "What?"

"Allyourfoodisrottenoutofdaterubbishthatwasputinyourshipinsteadofthebin."

"I can't understand a word. Say it slower."

"All your food is rotten out of date rubbish that was put in your ship instead of the bin."

"Great. Really great and how did you manage that?"

"I sent the wrong forms to the wrong people." Said Foaly sheepishly (centaurishly?).

"So what are we supposed to do about food?"

"I don't know."

Holly saw out of the corner of her eye Artemis burying his face in his hands.

Holly turned back to the intercom. "Well now you know how bad it is our end. What's happening back home?"

Foaly sounded brightened at this. "The vampires have stopped coming through and the mud men haven't discovered us. Haven is getting itself back together again. But that's not the best bit."

"What's the best bit then?" Sighed Holly resignedly.

"Well you know that vampire I was dissecting. It's giving off a signal that connects all the vampires together. When I looked at the brain of the vampire I found a tiny Nanobot that's giving off and receiving the signal. The Nanobot then controls the mind into doing what the signal says. This signal I have traced to a location in your world and I'm sending the co-ordinates now.

"In Gnommish Foaly."

"Tiny robots are connecting and controlling the vampires. The orders are coming from the blue marker on your radar. And if I understood you correctly Opal Koboi will probably be there."

On the radar a blue dot appeared pointing north.

"Thanks Foaly." Holly seemed to of got rid of her temper. "Sorry about shouting earlier."

"I should think so. After all the trouble I went too to pinpoint that location. I had to awake the unused satellites in your world to find it, which isn't as easy as it sounds. Then I needed to find…"

Artemis heard no more; Holly had turned off the intercom.

There was a very awkward silence. In fact since I've got a moment. It was even more awkward than the beginning of an awkward party, with the top 100 awkward people invited who don't know each other and don't share any interests.

Artemis stood up.

"Goodnight." He couldn't think of anything else to say.

"Too late" thought Holly. Never the less she said the same.

As Artemis turned to go he nearly walked into Charlie. She looked tired and her hair was dishevelled.

"Did someone say something about rotten cheese."

The next day the rotting food was dumped in the sea before they started travelling north. It was all biodegradable so wouldn't affect what life there was. The sea itself was as calm as a millpond while the sun beat down upon the tiny blip that was the ship. It was late afternoon before they landed on a plain just beneath a mountain by which time everyone was very hungry. Luckily before it got dark Charlie and Alpha went out and caught some rabbits, which were then cooked over a small fire.

The only problem was Holly's dietary requirements.

* * *

_Will Holly bring herself to eat meat? Will they get to Opal Koboi or will some random character get in the way? (I'm the narrator I can do that)._

_It's in the next chapter. Please be kind and Review. _


	11. A mirror image

Sorry I haven't updated in a while been busy. No matter here's the next chapter for those who are still reading it (without I wouldn't of got this far).

A mirror image

Holly had never eaten meat in her life. Alpha, Charlie and Commander Root had all lived so long under war conditions that most (if not all) moral values had gone including being picky on what they ate. And Artemis of course had no problem eating meat. But Holly…

Many times she tried to bring the cooked, slightly burnt meat to her lips but she just couldn't bring herself to bite into the greasy, glistening meat. It wasn't just the sight of it either. The smell made her retch (having no food to vomit). But what was worst was thinking about where it had come from. It was sickening to think that this had once been a creature that had lived and breathed just like she did now. How was it right that a creature should die so she could live?

Not for the first time she looked around searching for anything else to eat. But there was nothing. It was just a plain stretch of land with a few inedible shrubs. It had been lucky that they even had rabbits (but as Charlie pointed out "It was not luck but skill." Another by-product of war, she didn't believe in any God or in luck.). She looked at the rest of the group. Charlie was gobbling down her food as if she hadn't eaten in years. In contrast Commander Root was eating his meal as if savouring it, while Alpha ate like everything else he did. Calmly, methodically and not a flicker of emotion graced his face. Holly looked at Artemis he too was eating calmly and methodically but not in the same way as Alpha. His brow was creased and he looked troubled. Artemis was the smartest person Holly knew. He was smarter than Foaly and much smarter than she was (though she would never admit it). But something had definitely stumped him as his eyes looked as if he was a million miles away while his lips bit into the rabbit. She wouldn't mind kissing those lips. Kissing him passionately and then he would sink his wonderful lips further down…

Artemis suddenly looked up and Holly, realizing she had been staring quickly, looked away her gaze instead landing upon her uneaten dinner.

"_I didn't just think that." _She thought._ "Not about Artemis. He took me hostage for goodness sake." _But these sounded very hollow even inside her own head. She had long ago forgiven him and almost forgotten it altogether.

While she had been daydreaming her appetite had vanished, now it seemed to come back worse than ever. She sighed and tried to concentrate just how hungry she was. Again she raised her food to her lips and again she lowered it. The others were starting to notice now they had finished their murderous meal.

"What's wrong Holly?" said Charlie.

"It's a fairy thing," Said Commander Root. "Before the war most fairies were vegetarian. Come on soldier. Food is fuel."

Holly didn't look up while this was being said.

"Holly," said Charlie hesitantly. "Not eating it won't change anything."

Holly continued to stare down at her food.

"Don't you have anything to say Alpha?"

Alpha said nothing for a while before shaking his head.

"Have it your way then," Root growled to Alpha. Turning to Holly. "Come on eat up. That's an order."

Holly had never been very good at orders it was one of the things that had nearly made her promoted.

She continued to stare at her food like a misbehaving child. Then she felt an arm around her shoulder. Looking up she saw that it belonged to Artemis, which sent goose bumps all over her that had nothing to do with the meat.

"Holly," said Artemis in a low voice that sent Holly's mind reeling. "You need your strength. Especially as we are about to take on Opal's fortress."

Holly was still uncertain however. Artemis seemed to realise this as he then whispered in her ear.

"For me, please."

Holly could never remember him ever asking her like that before. Looking back she would always say this was the moment she finally realised that she would do anything for Artemis. She just hoped that Artemis didn't know it. Instead she said.

"You can't make me do anything." Having said that she then bit into the meat.

Even though the meat was fresh and had been cooked very well it still made her want to retch, but she swallowed it and continued to eat. The others started to disperse. Alpha was swinging the tonfa around practicing while Charlie and Root sparred (which was unfair as Charlie was nearly a meter taller than Root), but Artemis stayed doing nothing apart from taking his arm off Holly. She wasn't sure if she was relieved or sorry about this. She watched the fire beginning to burn down and the dark started creeping in. Artemis and Holly remained quite neither knowing quite what to say or whether they wanted to talk about last night. In actual fact they both missed their opportunity. The fire blew itself out and the darkness became complete apart from the stars overhead and they all retired to the ship, Alpha taking first watch. Both Holly and Artemis thinking about each other and how they would tell the other.

The next day the blue dot led them on. It led them over wide valleys and over great mountains, past enormous clouds and all the while the sun burnt down upon the pod. It turned out that Alpha had taken the whole night watch and although this wasn't unusual (according to Charlie and Root) he looked as alert and ready as if he had slept for a week. Artemis looked out the window to see them passing over a ruined village and even though the attack had happened a long time ago the deathly white skeletons made his skin crawl and he resolved not to look out the window again. Instead he busied himself with the computer and even though his fingers rolled over the Gnommish keypad with ease and he read every word on the screen his mind wasn't really into it. He was thinking about Holly. Plagued by the same questions as last night during dinner.

Did Holly feel the same as he did?

Should he risk their friendship on asking her?

Should even feel like this for her?

The sudden slowing of the ship interrupted his thoughts. Looking up he saw through the window a gigantic mountain. What was more was that the marker was hovering over where the mountain was on the radar. Opal was inside the mountain. Commander Root was quick to react.

"Quick, take us into those trees." Said Commander Root pointing towards the base of the mountain. "She mustn't see us before we see her."

Alpha obliged and before long they were covered by the thick trees and hopefully out of Opal's sight. Charlie scanned the area with varied sensors from the ship while Alpha went out to do his own scanning (for he trusted his own senses over a machines).

Ten minutes later the scanning was complete. Charlie ripped off a stream of paper that came from the laser printer while they all (apart from Alpha) sat round a small table.

"OK," she addressed to the room at large. "The mountain is hollow but is thick enough to distort most of are scans so I couldn't get a inside plan. However there are high levels of metal concentration, someone is in there, but even with fairy technology this sort of structure would've taken months to build. The forest we are in has a low amount of life in it but on the plus, no traps or cameras." It didn't sound like a plus the way she said it.

"Is there any way in?" asked Holly.

"Only one, at the top of the mountain which acts like a chimney giving off large amounts of steam and sulphur dioxide."

"Sulphur dioxide?" said Artemis an alarmed note in his voice that he quickly tried to stifle.

"What's wrong with sulphur dioxide?" asked Root tensing in his seat.

"Sulphur dioxide is given off by various man-made industrial processes." Said Charlie cheerfully; Root seemed to relax a bit leaning back in his seat.

"Oh and its also given off by active volcanoes." She added, even more cheerfully. At these words Root tilted a little too far on his seat and ended up crashing on the floor. An unpleasant curse came up from what could be seen of Root. When he was back in his seat he positively snarled.

"So you're telling me we've camped at the base of an active volcano."

Charlie nodded with a broad smile on her face.

"And unless we think up a better plan, we're going to have to lower ourselves into the volcano." Root continued dreading the worse.

"Yep, I'm sure this Opal Koboi won't mind us dropping in." Sounding happier than if she had won the lottery.

"Has she got a death wish or something?" Holly whispered to Artemis while Root muttered something that sounded like. "This just gets better and better."

Artemis grinned then said to Charlie. "Is the volcano giving off any large amounts of heat?"

Charlie's cheerfulness vanished like snow in an oven. She suddenly looked very disappointed, like a kid who gets a lump of coal for Christmas.

"No" she said quietly.

"Then it is probably given off by Opal making machines."

Charlie was about to answer when a dull clunking sound came from outside getting nearer.

It turned out to be Alpha who came in with a trap, one of those old fashioned painful traps that snap onto a creature's leg when it is stepped on. It was obvious that it had made the clunking sound. What was more surprising was that it was still on Alpha's leg. He had obviously walked in it for a long time as a lot of blood was around the teeth of the trap. Despite this Alpha showed no sign of pain and only took the trap off when he sat down, removing it with ease and then chucking it onto the table.

"Well, so much for no traps." Holly said staring with slight disgust at the lump of metal on the table.

"A bit drastic perhaps Alpha?" remarked Charlie. Alpha just shrugged.

"Did you see it?" said Root. Alpha merely nodded.

"Why did you step on it then?" asked Artemis.

"It was in the way."

Then Artemis said. "Why didn't you take it off?"

"It saved me having to carry it."

Artemis blinked, then looked at Charlie and Root who seemed totally unconcerned.

"Has the whole world always been like this?" he asked Holly in an undertone.

"Look at his leg." She replied.

Artemis looked and already the wound had scabbed over. He decided to ignore it.

"So what did you find out Alpha?" Holly asked.

"Few animals, no cameras, a very hollow mountain and many new traps."

And, sure enough looking at it more carefully Holly saw that the trap was not only rust free it seemed to be oiled regularly too.

Holly looked up to ask if he had seen anyone. But he shook his head as if reading her mind.

"Not a soul."

Artemis massaged his temples. A plan was already formulating itself in his mind but he would need to think about it and there were many risks as well. He glanced at Holly who seemed deep in thought as well. He quickly looked away. He needed to concentrate and his hormones weren't making things easier. Not just that but a worm of guilt was writhing about as well. Could he really ask Holly to do such a thing?

"_Well unless something expected happens there's no other way._" Artemis thought miserably. Usually concocting a plan made him feel charged. Not this time. It just made him feel worried and nervous. He woke up out of his reverie to see the entire table watching him. This didn't make him feel any better so he announced that he was going for a walk. Taking his tonfa guns he walked out of the ship and walking only a short distance away so he could still see the ship shining gold in the setting sun, it wouldn't do to get lost. He sighed and lay back against a nearby tree feeling the wet moss through his suit before he started to think in more detail about his plan.

Whether ten minutes past or an hour he didn't know but suddenly he heard footsteps and looking up he saw they belonged to Alpha. The sun had really set now and it was so dark he could only see Alpha's eyes which seemed to shine with an inner light. Artemis stood up his plan was complete anyway.

"Did you come to get me Alpha?"

He nodded.

"Who sent you?"

But Alpha merely shook his head and started to lead him back to the ship. Walking beside him he thought just how emotionless Alpha was and if the vampirism had done it. He knew some considered him emotionless but next to this tall, silent figure he was an emotional wreck.

Suddenly Alpha grabbed him by the collar and pulled him back. Rubbing his neck now Artemis looked up at Alpha.

"What you do that for?" he demanded.

As an answer Alpha kicked up some moss kicking it a step or two ahead of Artemis. There was a snap and where there had been moss a trap had been exposed, the same type Alpha had brought back. Artemis was surprised at Alpha's sight. Even in the light he wouldn't of been able to see the trap.

"Er, thanks." Artemis said looking at where his leg would've been. Alpha merely shrugged. Stepping gingerly around the trap they carried on walking to the ship. They were about a meter or two away from the ships hatch when Alpha grabbed him again. Artemis kicked some moss in his path but no trap snapped. Looking at Alpha he saw him standing as still stone eyes darting among the trees while his ears wiggled obviously trying to hear something. But it was his face that really scared Artemis. Instead of his usual blank features his face held the same expression of fear it had worn when Artemis had asked about the symbol on the guns. Drawing his tonfa now he span around taking in the whole clearing. Touching his own weapons he felt the symbol beneath his hand. He couldn't be here. Not now. Artemis was not a religious person; he had seen a bit too much to believe in one. But at that moment he prayed to all of them at once that it wasn't who he thought it was.

"_Not HIM_" he thought desperately.

Suddenly Alpha's eyes stopped darting fixing on a certain point. He seemed to relax a bit before throwing both his tonfa boomerang fashion. There was a loud THUD and an "Ow".

Artemis recognized that voice. But all he cared about at the moment was that it wasn't who he thought it was. He sighed and then behind the ships lights shone at the place where the "Ow" had come from lighting up a figure against a tree. His arms were up but he couldn't help that. Alpha's tonfa had embedded themselves on the cloth under his armpits and then into the tree behind the person.

Looking up the person saw Alpha and smiled. "You always were the best shot Alpha." He looked at his armpits. "Not a spot of blood, and in the dark too. I congratulate you." Now Artemis could see his face he recognized it at once. The man looked at Artemis and grinned. "I see you managed break the wall between the worlds, Hello Artemis."

Artemis stared back. He had expected this; even so it still gave him a shock to look back at his mirror image.

"I'm Artemis." The man continued.

So Artemis has met himself in another world (all right its clichéd don't kill me). What plans has this Artemis got? And what plan has our Artemis got? Find out next chapter. Please Review.

P.S. I don't have anything against religions or vegetarians. I was just using it to express the fear and the loyalty involved.


	12. Our Last Chance

Thanks to the people reviewed (you know who you are)

_Thanks to the people who reviewed (you know who you are). Sorry I haven't written for a while I got writers block halfway through. You might notice where._

Our Last Chance

The two Artemis' looked at each other for a few seconds, and then the Artemis stuck to the tree looked at Alpha again.

"You mind if you remove these." He said gesturing as best he could towards the tonfa still under his armpits.

Without a word Alpha strode over to Artemis and pulled the weapons from their imprisoning position. Looking at his double Artemis saw that instead of his usual suit his parallel was wearing a jumpsuit much like the ones Holly wore. This one however was a lot more damaged and looked fairly old by fairy standards. His twin also looked a lot older and bigger, his face had many faint lines on it but what could be seen of his muscles were nearly double the size of Artemis'.

As Alpha made to return the tonfa to their holsters the bigger Artemis stopped him and asked whether he could look at them. Alpha complied and Artemis saw his double look with an expert eye at the weapon he held. When the doubles eyes fell upon the symbol engraved upon the weapon he quickly dropped it as if he couldn't help himself. Alpha retrieved the weapon before the parallel Artemis spoke again.

"Still using those old things Alpha?"

Alpha nodded stowing the tonfa back in their holsters.

"Why how long has he had them?" said Artemis (the original).

His double looked up at him. "He's had them ever since he joined, which was a few months after the first vampires appeared. Apparently he got them from HIM for fulfilling the "contract"."

Artemis nodded; it made sense it explained why it had HIS symbol on.

"But I'm rather surprised Alpha hasn't got rid of them." He continued seeming to direct it at Alpha whose arms were crossed ("defensive position" thought Artemis) and was listening with unusual attention. "They connect you to that part of your past. Its almost as if you want to do another mission for him."

At these words Artemis suddenly saw his double being held by the throat about a foot off the ground by Alpha. Even in the dim light Artemis could see Alpha's face of anger and flickers of fear as he obviously remembered what had happened.

"Never even suggest it again." Alpha growled at the face just above his which was starting to turn red. "I keep the weapons because they are the best to kill the vampires with. If I face a choice between a mission from him and death I'll take death no matter what it is." He then dropped Artemis who landed on all fours gasping. Alpha's face was now neutral again and he looked as calm as ever. Artemis' double got up breathing heavily but before he could say anything Artemis interrupted.

"Listen I'm sure we agree that none of us want anything to do with HIM again." At which all three of them agreed.

Then behind them the ship opened up and Holly, Root and Charlie came running out.

Artemis' double lowered his voice and spoke quickly. "Listen, we'll carry on this conversation later. He maybe more dangerous than Opal is but he isn't trying to kill us (not yet anyway). But as soon as we get rid of the vampires and Opal we need to pay our attention to him. He needs to be stopped."

Before Artemis could answer, the others were upon them.

"A21!" cried Charlie before throwing her arms around the parallel's neck.

"A21?" asked Holly slightly incredulously eyeing what could be seen of Artemis' double (which wasn't enough for her to know who it was).

"Codename." Replied Root who also seemed very happy to see "A21" again.

"But who is he?"

"He's me in this universe." Answered Artemis.

Holly stared at both Artemis and his double, whom was now shaking hands with Root, and then groaned.

"Great, two Artemis' I thought one was bad enough."

Hearing this A21 looked up and saw Holly. The smile on his face seemed to freeze. But a second later his expression was normal and he carried on talking with Root.

A21 was now surrounded by Charlie, Root and Alpha, all catching up on news (apart from Alpha) that left both Artemis and Holly as outcasts. They glanced at each other and quickly looked away. Artemis had just gathered enough courage to ask when the others came over.

"Maybe next time." He mused before pushing it out of his mind for the moment.

"Listen," said A21. "Its not safe here, Opal sends scanners all over the area every day and night. They'll be here soon so we need to get out of the open."

With that and not waiting for any response he turned round and started walking deeper into the woods. Artemis chuckled to himself as they all followed as best they could in the dark, he recognized the tactic A21 was using. They hadn't walked far before they stopped in front of a large tree. Rapping upon it in an unusual tune, which sounded like a mixture of human nursery rhymes and fairy ones, A21 then proceeded to put his hand inside a small knot. Suddenly a doorway in the tree appeared and they saw the tree was hollow inside with a dwarf in, who had evidently opened the door. The dwarf himself was wearing a jumpsuit like A21's if a bit shabbier and on his left was a knife sheath and the other was a very nasty looking gun. Following the others into the tree Artemis could see that it had been made into a rather primitive looking elevator, all made of wood and ropes, no metal at all. Once everyone was in the dwarf closed the door, which Artemis knew would be invisible from the outside and then tugged at a load of rope beside him that started to unravel slowly. As the rope unravelled the elevator went down at a reasonable pace. The dwarf looked at his watch, tapped it and then kicked the rope, causing to unravel faster causing the elevator to start dropping at an increasingly alarming rate. Artemis was just starting to get apprehensive when they stopped. Just like that, sending Artemis sprawling on to floor with the sudden halt. Only A21, Alpha and the dwarf were still standing. Artemis watched as the dwarf pulled a much more advanced looking lever, which had appeared when they had stopped. There was rumbling and grinding of gears as the tunnel above started to close, eventually leaving nothing to look at but a sheet of metal. Artemis got to his feet and climbed off the elevator quickly.

"Next time I'll take the stairs."

After another short walk Artemis found himself around a circular table with Holly, A21, Alpha, Root, Charlie and two other fairies that he didn't recognize. In the centre of the table was a hologram of the mountain spinning slowly. A21 took out a laser pointer, which he tapped the hologram with. It suddenly stopped spinning, enlarged and showed what were evidently tunnels and rooms inside the mountain. Some of the corridors and rooms were white and some were red.

"You couldn't of come at better time." Said A21 turning to face Artemis and his group. The other fairies remained silent. Glancing at them A21 continued.

"We are just about to launch one last attempt at taking back the world. Inside every vampire is"

"A robot that controls the vampires." Interrupted Charlie.

A21 blinked then continued. "Precisely. It was receiving a signal which"

"You traced to here." Root finished his sentence for him.

Frowning slightly A21 nodded. "We plan to storm the mountain and"

"Take control of the vampires for yourself and destroy them." Holly suggested.

One of the fairies opposite narrowed their eyes while the other stroked his chin methodically.

A21 scowled. "And I suppose you know what our assault plan is as well." He said sarcastically.

"Well I don't know about that." Said Artemis who was now examining the map. "But this looks like a map of the mountain. As the mountain is lead lined I would say that you have already sent someone in to get you the map of this place." Glancing at A21 he could see a pissed off expression forming on his face.

"Fine, since you know everything already then I'll just get on with it."

A21 lifted his free hand and ran it through his hair.

"There are two ways in or at least will be." Pointing to two points on the map. "The obvious one is through the top into the volcano. The other one will be created during the attack." Indicating a point where two paths nearly met. "This is the plan Alpha and a small team will take your ship and…"

"Wait a sec," interrupted Holly with half a glance at Artemis. "Who's going to be driving it?"

A21 grinned. "Who do you think is driving it now?" When Holly's face remained unchanged A21 supplied "Doodah Day."

"Anyway that doesn't matter as its all taken care of. It is all taken care of isn't it?" He shot at one of the fairies.

"We have just received a report from Doodah Day" the fairy spoke in a monotone more mono than his face. "He has managed to avoid the scouts and is parking it in a more secure place."

"There you go, no problem. So Doodah Day, Alpha and a few others will take the ship and enter through the top. As soon as they start to make enough noise we'll blow the charges here." A red dot appeared in between the two paths that were so close. "The rest of us will then go along here." Pointing out a red path that started to pulse. "Eventually arriving at this room here." The appropriate room pulsed. "From what we managed to gather this is where most energy is being used. It therefore makes sense that this is where the control room is most likely to be." His laser pointer receded and the hologram died away.

"In the mean time you should get some rest and food. I'm sure these two will be happy to show you round." Gesturing towards the two fairies. In Artemis' opinion they looked the complete opposite to this however they stood up with everyone else and led the way out of the room. Artemis was just about to leave when…

"Wait a moment Artemis," said A21. "I'd like a word."

Looking around Artemis saw A21 reclining in one of the chairs slightly. Holly was hanging around the door so A21 added, "Privately."

Holly scowled slightly and stomped out. Artemis didn't need to be a mind reader to know what she was thinking, but he wouldn't say it aloud. (There's no point putting it in, as it would have to be censored.)

A21 leaned back in his chair and regarded Artemis who regarded right back. Then A21 stood up.

"You'll be fighting won't you?"

Although this was not his usual occupation Artemis nodded.

"With Holly?"

Artemis nodded again. Everything he knew A21 knew so there was no point to elaborate.

A21 nodded and patted Artemis' shoulder as he went past. Before he left however he said one final thing. "Protect her with your life Artemis," one hand on the door. "Because without her life hardly seems worth living." Artemis looked at him.

"Did you…?"

"Yes…long ago." Artemis watched him carefully but A21 looked normal and after a pause he left leaving Artemis to his very complicated thoughts.

A few hours later after dinner and a shower Holly was to be found in the female barracks alone too energetic to sleep, wearing some issue pyjamas, her hair still wet from the water and her head still full of the same puzzle that haunted Artemis' mind. As if her last thought had been broadcast, someone knocked on the door and Artemis came in. He too had had a shower and his wet hair fell slightly over his eyes, while wearing a midnight blue dressing gown. Where Artemis had materialized this dressing gown was anyone's guess but it did make him look good. Holly shook herself mentally; she shouldn't be having these thoughts about Artemis, not now at least.

"Would you like a drink?" It was a while before she realised Artemis was talking to her. He was holding up a bottle and was smiling sheepishly. Holly chuckled and sat down on a bunk while Artemis sat opposite and poured its contents into two glasses, handing one to Holly. Holly smelt it; she tasted it and was surprised to find it was fairy wine. How Artemis had managed to unearth a wine this good was again anyone's guess.

As if this thought had been heard Artemis said.

"I got this down at stores, as this could be some peoples last day they're enjoying themselves."

Holly raised her eyebrows at these words but decided not to comment.

She took another sip of her wine and herself thinking of home and all the people who would miss her if she never got back. Foaly, Mulch, Doodah Day. She wondered whether her family would, she hadn't spoken to them for so long. Well she knew Internal Affairs wouldn't lose any sleep over it. Glancing at Artemis she saw him staring into his glass of wine, lost in thought.

This could be my last chance, our last chance. She should tell him. The next question she would later regret for the rest of her life.

"Artemis, What do you think our chances are for tomorrow?"

Artemis looked up.

"About 50-50 I'd guess." He glanced at her glass before he continued. "But I think Alpha's distraction is a bit obvious. Flying into the middle of a volcano is a bit…"

"Alpha can't fly." Said Holly slowly frowning slightly.

"He's going to be in the ship, Holly." Artemis answered gently.

Holly smiled. "Of course, just feeling tired." Then she frowned again. Her thoughts were slowing down, so was her speech and her eyelids were feeling heavier too. What had happened? She'd been energetic only a minute before now it was an effort just to hold her wine glass. She saw Artemis glance at the wine glass she put down on the table.

"Artemis." She said furiously. She lifted her arm to sock him but the sleeping draft hit her she could him. Artemis caught her before she hit the floor lying her down slowly and carefully. As quickly as he could Artemis rolled Holly under a bed making sure she was well out of sight. The sedative would wear off just after 24 hours. Artemis sighed but regretted nothing. The alternative was too terrible for it to be considered. There was one last thing he had to do before he left more for himself than anyone else. He bent down and whispered in Holly's ear.

"I'm sorry for this, and everything else. For kidnapping you, for lying to you, for manipulating you,… for everything. I'm sorry. But life without you would be much worse than asking for your forgiveness because…I love you."

Artemis paused, thinking. But there was nothing more to say.

"I'll see you later." He whispered 'I hope' he thought.

Artemis stood up but just before he turned and left the room a pair of eyes blinked and vanished from the crack in the door Artemis had failed to close properly.

_OK, OK. I think its Clichéd and sappy. But what do you think? I might rewrite this if I need to. Please review. _


	13. No Backup

_All right back to the action. Here it is Chapter 13.Umm… you might flame me for this one. Sorry it took so long to update but it might be worth it. _

No Back Up

Artemis tried not to think about what he had done as he waited for the assault to begin the next day. He needed to concentrate on the task at hand but his thoughts still wandered. They would wander down the corridors back to the barracks where Holly would still be out cold and safe under the bed. He shook his head vigorously as he waited by Charlie, who was fingering her weapon agitatedly. The operation would begin at "0700 hours" as Commander Root had put it, ten minutes from now and everyone was waiting for Alpha and his small team to take off and Alpha was late and the prospect of imminent death was doing nothing to improve Artemis' mood. Artemis watched as a mixture of humans and fairies placed charges around their soon to be entrance. Once through the party would split to search for the control room. A21 had predicted about a minute window of distraction when they wouldn't be detected. Personally Artemis would be surprised if they even lasted that long let alone undetected. His last positive thought was that at least Holly would survive, safe as she was. He had no idea, as Alpha climbed into the ship and took off, how wrong he was.

Five minutes earlier a shadow crept into the female barracks. It crept along through the ranks of beds until the light hit it. It was Alpha. Finding the right bed he bent down and pulled out Holly who was still feeling the effects of the sedative and was sleeping like a troll after a large meal. Lifting her wrist he checked her pulse and glanced at his watch. Alpha lifted as easily as if she were made of feathers and carried her over to the table. Again he lifted her wrist he brought to his mouth and bit it watching Holly's face for a reaction. Seeing none he continued with the process starting to suck blood out of her.

Deep in her mind Holly was seething. She was stuck in a prison she couldn't break out of, by a boy who hadn't even seen another century. A mixture of sparks and bubbles floated past her, which she glowered at. Stuck in her mind while the most important fight happened around her what could be worse. A thought drifted past thinking "In someone else's mind?"

"Who thought that?" Holly thought and shot her own thoughts at it telling it to sod off. The two thoughts exploded in mid-thought sending a satisfying amount of debris flying away. Holly was just thinking whether she could shoot down those horrible bubbles in the same way when a new sensation appeared. The liquid around seemed to be draining away and as it did so a new feeling started growing where she was sure her arm should be. She opened her eyes to see Alpha sucking at her wrist. She could see blood around his lips. Holly quickly pulled away her wrist and kicked Alpha in the head causing him to fall against the wall. She stood up unsteadily eyeing Alpha with suspicion. Alpha got up and spat out a clear liquid onto the floor. Checking his watch he turned to go.

"Hang on." Shouted Holly grabbing him. "Where are you going?"

Alpha looked down at her and Holly was suddenly aware how very tall he was and let go of him.

"To the ship I have five minutes to get the ship into the volcano."

"But what did you do to me?"

"I removed the sedative from your blood stream via my own taste skills. A simple procedure with no side affects, you'll still have a bit of the sedative in your blood I wasn't thorough so you'll still be tired for a while but most of it has been removed and you'll recover from the affects in about ten minutes. You'll be able to join the battle just after it begins."

Holly frowned as she tried to take this all in but gave up.

"But, why?"

"Because an unexpected element is needed. Besides you out cold just increases the chance of losing."

Alpha left shutting the door behind him leaving Holly to recover.

The explosives were set, the ship was just about to attack, the troops were waiting in the corridor waiting, waiting, waiting…

Then there was an explosion that shook the ground and sent patches of dust from the ceiling. The ship had landed. In no time at all the predicted self-defence system had been kicked in and there were counter explosions. Almost instantaneously the explosives did their job sending rubble flying everywhere leaving a rugged but large hole leading into a steel corridor.

Throughout everyone's helmets the light flashed green, their orders were simple, fast and silent. They moved quickly down the metal corridor, taking out any cameras along the way, following the map to the supposed control room. Some backed down the corridor watching the rear, some poked their guns around the corners before moving down the new corridor. Artemis himself was holding his weapons like a troll would hold a paintbrush. It just didn't seem to be in character and it showed. Artemis' hands were shaking, jolting his weapon. Charlie, who was still next to him, nudged him. Getting the message Artemis took a deep breath and his hands steadied. The magic inside him was burning ready to be used as if excited.

At that minute a door next to Artemis opened and a lone vampire came charging out. Artemis acted upon instinct (not something he was used to) and his magic burst out of him. Artemis had no way on knowing how different his magic was to other fairies. He hadn't had the time to test it. The basic elements were the same; it was a form of energy. However human magic had been abolished for a good reason and that was its destructive nature.

The vampire stopped in mid air its face twisted in pain and possible fear, then there was no head at all only bits flying of in every direction. His head had literally exploded making a horrible mess in the clean steel corridor.

Artemis was both shocked and intrigued by what he had done, but had no time to investigate as Charlie was already pushing him along keeping him up with the rest. The others did not seem to have noticed the vampire or what Artemis had done, they had more pressing matters. The explosions and shouts that had been going on above them suddenly stopped, their distraction was over.

Moving much faster now the company carried on moving down the corridors to the control room, all of them as tense as the next.

"Oh very well done Artemis." From somewhere overhead Opals voice sounded. "I'm very surprised you've managed to get this far. Surviving that pack of vampires back at the hospital." Artemis looked all around as he continued down the corridor and spotting a camera sent a shot at it which surprised him by making the camera explode.

"Now really do you know how much those cameras are worth?"

To show he couldn't care less Artemis shot another one sending this one crashing to the floor.

"You might as well give it up Koboi," A21's voice sounded from somewhere in the group. "We're nearly upon you. No more need to die."

Opal giggled. "Maybe but you're still not here yet and who's the one with an army of vampires on their side?" Opal giggled again and said to someone who was obviously next to her. "Harry, go order the vampires to their position, give them a bit more blood.

Well," speaking into the intercom again. "Goodbye Artemis, I'll watch your death with great satisfaction." From overhead there was a creaking followed by a stampede of footfalls? "Hear that Artemis. That's the sound of death. Coming for you."

Charlie had only one thing to say. "#!"

The party carried on going faster down the endless corridors, fear rippled across their faces like a Mexican wave as the vampires got steadily louder and closer. They were very close now to the room but Artemis doubted whether he could go much further. His breathing was becoming harsh and irregular and although magic was helping he had to be sparing. Charlie was half pulling half dragging him now as they turned into the last corridor, empty just like all the others.

Artemis stumbled catching himself on the wall. Leaning against it now he gasped.

"I don't (gasp) think I (gasp) can go (gasp) any further." He complimented this sentence by making a horrible throat noise and coughing up a mixture of blood and phlegm. A few blue sparks sparkled around his chest but he continued to gasp for air like a fish out of water. Charlie looked at him for a moment, as the rest of the group continued to run on, before reaching into her bag for something. Turning away from her Artemis closed his eyes and tried to regulate his breathing and keep his calm at the same time. He didn't look around or care when he heard a hissing noise or the flickering of a light. He started to care after the hissing, flickering thing, which turned out to be very hot, was shoved down his trousers.

The calm and regulated breathing went out the window as a burning feeling started somewhere very private. Put it this way if he farted it would be something like the NASA space launch.

Artemis's eyes popped.

Pain overriding his need to gasp for air he started running down the corridor moving almost as fast as a vampire. Charlie put the flares back in her bag as she started chasing after Artemis.

"Always useful to have." She thought not for the first time. The sight of, usually graceful, Artemis running like a mad mud man down the corridor was almost as good as doing the same thing to dwarves. Almost, for obvious reasons.

Artemis's sudden newfound speed lasted him all the way down the corridor overtaking the rest of the group with ease and stopping only when the flare had gone out. By the time the others had caught up with him his ill-gotten magic had already healed his backside leaving only a painful memory. Artemis was only mildly surprised to see that he was beside the final door. The others crowded around the door, waiting for the green light. A21 scanned the door checking for traps, vampire's etc. but nothing showed up. Giving the green light the entire group filed in quickly and silently scouting the room searching for Opal or some kind of controls. Artemis managed to get in just after Charlie, A21 bringing up the rear. The room was about as large as a cathedral and was built in a pentagon shape at one end was an archway that seemed to go to nowhere. However on closer inspection Artemis saw that it was a portal. All around the room were large pods about a metre apart from each other filling as much space as possible. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Commander Root sealing the door with a mixture of bullets and heat. Running over to the computer beside the archway, avoiding contact with the pods along the way Artemis soon hacked into the machine guessing the password easily. Typing Koboi in he soon had access to a few files and control over the portal.

Artemis lost himself in the few programs he had access to. Most of them were utter rubbish from Koboi's diary saying how great being Empress of the world was. Artemis searched the database for portals, vampires and plans but came up with nothing but encrypted or locked files. Artemis drummed his fingers on the table. He needed a word that was less common or valuable. Then he had it. Again Opal's arrogance had betrayed her. Artemis typed "Harry" into the database, waiting patiently for the computer to stop searching. It came up with about a dozen files all but two weren't locked. The earlier file was an extract from Opal's diary, one of the earliest entries. Opening the file Artemis quickly read through the entry skipping over the self-congratulations nonsense.

_I have escaped from Howlers Peak at last. I have hitched a ride to another universe by some singularity that broke into Howlers Peak no one will catch me here (congratulations to herself on thinking up such a great plan). I arrived in the middle of a field just outside London (Says how smart she is to know where she is at once). Sitting up I saw him for the first time. It was a mud man he looked around mid-twenties and wore glasses and a slightly dazed expression as if he had been thrown across universes (later on I found he had). But his clothes were odd even for a human. He wore robes that came down to his feet and were jet black but looked as if they had seen better days with more holes in it than a Swedish cheese. (Comments on how fabulous her clothes look on her no matter how destroyed they are). He saw me and his face clouded over in puzzlement to be quickly replaced with realization and then anger. Turning around quickly he searched fruitlessly for something in the air arms outstretched. He soon gave up and flopped down beside me fuming. Deciding he might be useful I layered my voice (my beautiful voice) with the Mesmer, I had been saving the last of it for an emergency (how clever of me etc.). _

"_Human, you are my slave."_

_The mudman looked at me eyebrow rose, his anger evaporating._

"_Nice voice." he commented before frowning in thought again._

_I was surprised. It wasn't that the Mesmer hadn't worked; I felt the magic required drain out of me. He was immune to the Mesmer. As I reached this conclusion he had taken out a piece wood, which he started to twirl in his hand. Then I had an idea (a brilliant one of course etc.). He wanted something I could see it in his eyes maybe we could strike a deal._

"_What do you want most of all?" I asked him. (_She never did have very good people skills thought Artemis_)._

_He seemed slightly taken aback by the question though I can't think why but answered anyway._

"_To get back to my own universe and kill Alpha and Will."_

"_Alright I'll make you a deal. You help me achieve my ends and I will yours."_

_He looked at me with suspicion. "What are your own ends?"_

"_To get back to my universe and kill Artemis and Holly."_

_He considered for a moment looking into my eyes as if boring into them. I blink and look away. _

_He held out a hand and, despite possible infection (oh how brave etc.), I shook it._

"_Opal" I said._

"_Harry" he returned._

_I don't think either of us realized just how useful each other were or would be._

Artemis didn't read anymore. Opal had actually nearly given this "Harry" man a compliment. Artemis recalled last time Opal had worked with someone. Briar Cudgeon had been dangerous, how bad was Harry? And how to Harry know Alpha? Was it the same Alpha or someone different? The second file contained a little bit about the pods.

_Our plan is coming along nicely, the vampire disease is spreading all over the world both below and above and best of all, the Professor is getting all the attention (all that attention is very bad for my skin). Artemis skipped as it goes on about how genius she and Harry are. Soon our portal will be fully operational and we will be able to kill our enemies. The vampires being used for the attack are being kept in the portal room and can be hatched from their pods whenever we want._

"D'Arvit." Said Commander Root who had just read over Artemis's shoulder. He looked around and saw a single camera glinting at them. If an object without a face could look smug the camera had managed. Pulse seemed to travel through the pods as if a fly had caught in the web. Root didn't need another excuse.

"Retreat" he shouted. "Retr…" Then all at once the pods exploded sending green slime everywhere, Root got a face full. Thinking quickly Artemis started typing a new command into the console. By the time he had finished most of the vampires were out of the pods and slaughtering. Half the team were killed before they could overcome their surprise and the other half had been wounded before fighting back. Root and Charlie were back to back shooting any vampire close enough, while A21 was surrounded by vampires but still fighting. Watching Artemis couldn't help but think _I could have been that? _He was immediately interrupted by a vampire that obviously wanted an easy picking. Only the quick shooting of Root saved Artemis.

"Stay awake Mud Boy. We need to plan fast; I believe that's your area of expertise."

Artemis ran over to Root who was still back to back with Charlie.

"We need to find Opal."

"We tried that already remember."

"Well we can keep trying." Shouted Charlie shooting over Artemis shoulder. "But we need get rid of these vermin first."

"I'll do it." Said A21 who had fought his way over. He seemed to of lost most of his left ear but was otherwise fine. "Small EMP should do it, fry the doors opening mechanism."

Root nodded. "Right then lets go."

They made for the nearest door shooting anything that got in their way. They burst through the door but there was already someone inside. Alpha was there gun raised looking completely unperturbed by the stream of vampires following them. But A21 didn't make it through the door. Slipping on the slime left by the pods and was soon covered in vampires. Alpha hastened forward to help but from somewhere underneath all the vampires A21 shouted. "Go! Find Opal, I'll sort the doors. Go, and that's an order." Alpha paused for a moment then nodded and shut the door.

There was small boom and Artemis felt his hair rise and the controls on the door exploded in a million fire works.

Artemis was feeling slightly dazed. He had just seen his own death. Okay it wasn't him him but it still was him. Artemis winced at this thought.

"_Find Opal"_ the shout lingered in Artemis's head. His last words.

"Come on lets finish this." Said Root.

"I'm afraid you won't be finishing anything." A voice said from behind them.

Artemis span around.

A man stood there but it wasn't a man from the assault. He wore dark robes instead of armour. He had a pale face to rival Artemis's and black hair that contrasted strongly with it. His bottle green eyes were obscured by a pair of glasses and on the forehead he had a lightning shaped scar.

"You!" said Alpha eyes widening slightly from surprise.

"Me," the man smiled.

Alpha made to shoot him but the man was faster. Drawing a thin stick from his robes he shouted.

"Expelliarmus"

Not just Alpha's weapons flew out of his hands but everyone's did flying towards and over the man's head landing a good few yards behind the man.

"You caught me by surprise last time Alpha. I've had many years to brood on that. It's not going to happen again."

"Last time I didn't have a choice. Someone had to stop you. Besides I had my orders."

"Ah, yes. From Him if I remember. But at what price to yourself?" The man hissed. "Do you miss your soul Alpha? Do you miss the feeling of joy, of laughter of taking pleasure from a job well done? I remember how you used to feel when that happened, do you?

Alpha's face remained blank.

"It doesn't matter now though does it? I've done my time, I fulfilled the deal and he let me go. He'll come for you next Harry, mark my words."

The man laughed, but Artemis could see the fear in his eyes. The fear of Him.

"Alpha, Who is he?" Charlie asked eyeing the man, sizing him up eyes lingering on the stick.

The man's eyes glittered. "How rude of me I haven't introduced myself to your friends." He did a mock bow.

"My name is Harry Potter, and I've been waiting for this a long time Alpha." And an insanely evil grin spread across his face.


	14. Death's Playground

_I realize just unpopular my last chapter was. Maybe it will work out…maybe. Anyway here's next chapter, nearly finished so you won't be suffering for long anyway._

* * *

Death's Playground

To some death is the end of the line. The end of everything. Of all happiness and suffering. But to some death is merely an annoying factor of life and carry on regardless.

Holly watched the scene unfold below her as the man; Harry disarmed Alpha and the rest. But they were much too busy to notice her, even Opal would have difficulty taking her eyes off what was happening. She was probably recording it for later. She scowled whenever she looked at Artemis. When this was all over he was going to pay. But there was something else besides the anger. She couldn't quite explain it to herself or what it meant. Pushing the feeling aside she concentrated on her anger.

Having been woken up by Alpha she had shielded and followed the main assault thanking Foaly that the magic batteries in her suit were still working. Her wings seemed all right too so when it had started getting messy she flew up and out of the way.

The group was now being frog marched down the corridor, Harry bringing up the rear keeping that stick out and pointed at Alpha's back. Holly decided there were four ways to deal with Harry. Steal or destroy that stick, Cut of his hands, stop him speaking or kill him. Neither of them seemed promising. So she waited for the opportune moment to attack, waited and followed the team through door after door hearing the screams and explosions everywhere as the march down one silver corridor to another. Eventually they entered a large circular high ceiling room with computer banks and screens all around it. But looking up Holly saw a large gold statue of Opal Koboi suspended in midair by what looked like a moonbelt. Opal herself was waiting by the largest computer bank grinning evil in the eyes. Holly quickly took a higher purchase to watch and not be noticed by anyone. Even so Holly was convinced Artemis had heard her.

"So who did you manage to get?" Opal said as Harry stood beside her.

Harry nodded towards Artemis and Co. "Just this lot unfortunately no Holly but on the plus I got Alpha so half of our revenge will be done."

Opal mused for a while. "Maybe I should just leave her with the knowledge of everyone she knows death. That'll be good enough. Hmm…No. She must die. Maybe one of them will know where she is. So who have we got?"

Opal stepped up to the group and Harry followed with a hand on Opal's shoulder. Holly frowned. Although they hadn't said much Holly could tell Opal and Harry acted very oddly to each other.

"Alpha? I thought you said he worked for Him in another world." Opal asked Harry as she recognised Alpha.

"I thought so too. Seems he left Him. But enough of that, Can I kill him now, please? Its bad enough that you wanted to see him."

"Just a few more minutes dear. And then we'll kill him together. There's no point interrogating him though. As a vampire he's resistant to the mesmer."

Opal moved along to Charlie.

"Ah a human soldier. Perfect." Layering her voice with the mesmer. "Where's Holly?"

Charlie's eyes twitched as she tried to lie and failed.

"I…don't…know."

Opal twitched too, in anger. Harry squeezed her shoulder and said.

"She may be useless for information but she'll be useful for torture for a while."

Opal smiled. "Computer. To the chambers with her."

And before Charlie could say anything she had vanished in a blue flash. Opal moved on to Root.

"Excellent. Root I'll enjoy torturing you too but first…"

Holly didn't listen to the rest as she got distracted by Artemis. While Opal extracted as much information as she could from Root Artemis his hand into his pocket and quickly put on a rather ostentatious ring and twisted it so it would be hidden in his fist.

As Root too vanished. Opal approached Artemis and she seemed to be quivering with excitement.

"I'm going to enjoy torturing you Artemis but first" she put the full power of the mesmer on Artemis, he'll be tougher to break. "Why isn't Holly with you? Where is she?"

Artemis started to shake as he worked hard to resist. His eyes started to turn red as large blotches appeared in them.

"I…sedated…her. She's…proba…bly…still…asleep…at…the...com…plex." Artemis gasped and suddenly for some reason Holly wanted to un-shield to stop Opal. Holly shook her head. Concentrate.

Opal raised her eyebrows. "YOU sedated her. Why?"

"Because…we…were…going…to *gasp* lose."

Opal and Harry's mouths changed into identical twisted smirk's.

"Ahh. You didn't want Holly to die." Harry coaxed Artemis. "Do you love her?"

Artemis shook even more violently after this one.

"D'Arv…you." Artemis muttered and threw a punch at Opal. Quicker than Holly thought possible Harry had intercepted the blow and was lifting Artemis up by the throat, Opal grinning with amusement behind him. Holly couldn't stand it anymore. She aimed her Neutrino at Harry's head on the highest most concentrated setting. But before Holly could shoot an incoming call appeared on her HUD. She looked at the call and was only slightly surprised to find it was from Artemis' ring phone. As she accepted the call she kept her Neutrino on Harry's head as Harry himself threw Artemis bodily into a computer bank opposite. Artemis smashed into it and would've suffered permanent disablement if it wasn't for the magic healing his wounds. As Artemis rubbed his throat where Harry had grabbed it Holly suddenly heard from the vibrations in his throat that went into the ring what Artemis wanted her to hear.

"Holly, in a few minutes they are going to get very distracted. You need to ignore everything and everyone and deal with Harry."

Artemis ended the conversation and stopped rubbing his throat.

"Stupid thing to do Artemis." Opal seemed positively gleeful at that. "And for that you will have to watch us send the vampires to destroy your home." Holly watched as Opal brought up the cameras view of the portal room which was still full of vampires.

"Your home was the first place we keyed into the portal." Opal grinned at Artemis. "Computer. Open the portal and bring up a view of where it will appear. I want Artemis to watch his entire family being destroyed." The camera then changed to a view of the room they were in now.

"I said where the portal will appear. Not here."

"Opal, the new co-ordinates typed in suggests this is where it will appear."

Harry and Opal quickly span around and already a small blue singularity was appearing.

"Computer, turn off the portal. Now!"

"Negative. Access denied. This command has been overridden by," The computer's voice changed to Artemis'. "_I Win Again Koboi. _Please contact this user if you want to use this function."

"You!!" Opal shouted at Artemis. But before she could get any revenge Harry held her behind him as the first vampires burst through the portal. Holly watched as green flash after green flash each brought down vampire after vampire. Remembering what Artemis had said she quickly tried to aim at Harry but her aim kept being put off by the green flashes. Unable to aim at Harry she aimed for the thing above him instead. The shot from the Neutrino flew through the air smashing into the Moonbelt device holding the statue up. The Opal statue wobbled for a moment and then fell right on top of Harry crushing him as he dispatched the last vampire who had come through the portal that Artemis had just ordered to close.

"NOOOO!!" Opal had extricated herself from behind the gold statue that had crushed Harry.

"HARRY!!" She turned to Alpha, Artemis and Holly, who had just unshielded and was running over to Artemis, anger, pain and madness in Opal's eyes.

Opal screamed wordlessly and pulled out a gun. A proper mudman made gun specially made to fit inside Opal's hand. Alpha ran forward with the speed of a vampire to disarm her.

There was a single shot.

* * *

_What will happen next? Who did Opal shoot? You'll probably guess but hey last chapter next. I hope to finish it much faster than I did this one. I'm sorry for all those that have been waiting for this for such a long time. _


	15. Death's Deal

Death's Deal

It started in Opal's brain as she aimed. The signal shot down her nerves till it reached the finger, which in turn pulled the trigger. The trigger released an old fashioned spring loaded hammer that swung with enough force to hit the bullet held in the nozzle. The enormous amount of energy served as the catalyst that ignited the gunpowder like substance in the bullet that produced a small explosion within the chamber. The explosion shoved what was left of the bullet down the tube eventual spitting out the other end with accompanying bang and flash of light. The bullet span through the air at a velocity just below the speed of sound eventually digging through the flesh then bone of the skull. Ripping through the protective skull and film that surrounded the brain it tore through the prefrontal cortex, demolished the Broca's area and eventually came to rest after much more brain burying in the Parietal lobe.

Opal was disarmed and pinned to the floor by Alpha right after the shot but her face was triumphant as she watched Artemis' look of slight surprise as the bullet hole bled into his eyes before the light of life in his eyes died and he crumpled back onto the rubble strewn floor.

To Holly it seemed to happen in slow motion as the adrenaline kicked in too late to save him. She saw everything Opal had seen and heard a bit more. For as Artemis comprehended what had happened he let out a last breath that had only one silent word on it.

"Holly."

And she was by his side as soon as he hit the ground. Holly saw the blue sparks of Artemis' magic try scurry and crackle over the wound as it tried to heal its host. Quickly Holly held Artemis' head and tried to help the sparks.

"Heal" she choked as her magic rushed into Artemis pouring as much as she could send. But Holly knew from previous experiences that it wouldn't work. Artemis' head wound sealed over but the brain wouldn't re-grow alive, just as dead tissue. Artemis' brown and blue eyes were staring at her, but they were just eyes. There was no warmth or cold coming from them, no emotions, just emptiness. Holly stopped the flow of magic and even Artemis' magic blinked out of existence and sounding just like any romantic tragedy Holly sobbed.

"Artemis, please."

And then the misery and anguish that had been kept at bay by the hope that Artemis would be back was crushed and it flooded her. It seeped from her heart as if she too was bleeding and permeated every part of her being and she suddenly found herself remembering every moment she had had with Artemis' even the bad things he had done were much better than now. Returning from Limbo together, when they first met, when they were in the Temple of Artemis and they found Opal on the HoloTV…Opal. The name and memory pierced through the pain and flooded with a new one until they filled her with equal measurement. Holly opened her eyes to find she was crying but despite the blur it caused she still turned and saw Opal still being pinned by Alpha and the new red mist, something she had dismissed as complete baloney before, fell over her eyes. Letting go of Artemis' she marched over to Alpha and Opal the red mist and her tears still messing with her vision. Wordlessly she took Opal's gun that Alpha had held out to her before pulling Opal up to her knees just before Holly pressed the cold nozzle to Opal's forehead. Opal smiled.

"Now you know how I feel." Her words made Holly think for less than a tenth of a second before dismissing it as irrelevant. Opal continued.

"So… are you going to kill me Captain? Execute me? And become a cold blooded killer? Do you really have it in you Holly?"

Opal smirked as Holly thought about this and lowered the gun and looked at Alpha whose indifferent expression gave no indication as what to do before answering.

"No I won't."

Opal knew this already.

"Execution is too good for you." Holly said and smacked Opal's head with the gun taking care as to not hit the temple and make Opal' fall unconscious, she wanted her awake for this. "I'm going to make this last." And pocketed the gun.

Holly smashed her boot into Opal's face shattering the nose and noticed that Alpha had cleverly moved out of the way as Holly continued, with her anger giving the strength she required. Holly pulled Opal off the floor and holding her by the neck alternating between punches in the face with butting until Opal's face looked like spaghetti bolognaise. The Holly kicked Opal to the floor and proceeded to shatter her ribcage with continuous stamps and kicks. Moving on to Opal's legs Holly twisted and snapped them like twigs into double digit pieces. Holly then rested for a while and waited for Opal's magic to allow her to start again.

And so it went on. Holly shattered bones, punctured organs and punched Opal to a pulp making sure all the time that she neither died nor fell unconscious. Holly left no form of physical pain out and when Opal's reserves of magic failed to heal her anymore Holly called upon her own enormous amounts of magic to prolong the torture again thanking Foaly for the magical battery. And all the time Alpha watched so indifferent to the mutilation and to Artemis' death that Holly wanted to scream at him but was too busy with Opal at the moment.

Then around the hundredth beating Holly felt her magic reserves run out. She was quite tempted to go and recharge just so she could beat Opal another hundred times but then she decided it was time for blood. Opal herself was still very much conscious and croaking with agony as her voice had gone at around the twentieth beating. Finally Holly pulled out the gun and counted the bullets. Five. Carefully aiming so that the bullets wouldn't kill her right away but the hours of blood loss would Holly shot Opal, five shots in the jaw, the limbs and a few carefully placed ones in the chest. And Opal would die, many hours later and very much conscious and powerless throughout the whole thing.

The red mist then left Holly's sight and she stumbled over to Artemis' side only misery was filling her and tears again started falling freely.

Alpha turned away from Holly now and walked over to the main computer console. He really hadn't cared either about Artemis' death or Holly's fall. Logically it was an enormous loss, Artemis' genius and Holly would probably lose her sanity but when you have won the war losses matter little. Alpha quickly sped through all the commands and finally found the vampire self destruct. Swiftly and a bit of finality Alpha activated it and although he could not hear the results he sensed the life forms die that were vampires die almost instantaneously. Smiling Alpha then heard something he really didn't want to hear.

As Holly again dissolved into pain and memories next to Artemis' corpse and Alpha fiddled with the computer someone approached her.

"Popcorn?" someone asked and offered the bag in front of her face. Holly looked up to see the oddest man she had ever seen stepping out of what looked like a portal. Apart from the proffered popcorn bag he had a large movie camera on his shoulder and was dressed in a pair of pyjamas that sported the same symbol Alpha had on his tonfa. The kite split in four with chains coming off its corners. He had light brown hair and a very thin face. But his eyes sparkled with delight and inquisitiveness and seemed to be studying her at the same time.

"You!" Alpha shouted anger lighting his face like never before and charged at the man.

The man sighed and withdrew the popcorn bag. "Now Alpha you needn't be so mad and it would be a very stupid idea to attack me." As Alpha carried on regardless he sighed again.

Then just before Alpha's fist could connect with the man's face, he flickered, there was a sound like a small earthquake and Alpha was flying through the air and smashing into a wall leaving the man unharmed and eating from the popcorn bag.

All her anger used up on Opal Holly merely felt even more miserable that she couldn't grieve alone.

"Who the hell are you?"

"Ummm. I go by many names. Errr…go for Ben? Yeah, I'm Ben."

"He's a liar, a manipulator and the worst person you can work for. Don't agree to anything!"

"Alpha please, wait your turn you have a contract as well you know."

Alpha snorted. "You don't have anything I want."

"Oh contraire I have something you really want but Holly's contract is first. Now, Holly, ask all your questions and then I'll state my offer."

"Who are y…" Holly started before Ben answered.

"I suppose just a fake name won't suffice, very well. I am a time and other world traveller and all the things Alpha said. I fiddle with events and record some of the more interesting ones and sometimes I manipulate them. See." And Ben opened his camera to show the fight scene Holly had just had with plenty of action shots and impossible close ups to faces.

Holly allowed it to wash over her as she felt too drained to actually feel anything but the loss.

"Did you manipulate this event?"

"Yep."

"Why?"

Ben looked shocked by the question. "For the lovely footage of course! This particular adventure will be added to my favourite all time moments such as Earth Explosion 21, Jesus' crucifixion the list goes on but you get the drift."

"So what do you want?"

"Ah, down to business good. Here's my offer. You have to come work for me for one relative year. Now don't think this is easy. As Alpha and any other past employees can vouch it isn't a pleasant line of work for you will have to do everything I tell you to and most of that is quite character destroying stuff. As for payment…well I think I should show you." Ben pulled a gadget from his pocket and turning it on it showed a full 3D and in colour room. The room was bare and painted grey the only thing in the room was a person curled up in the corner. "This is a live feed from my personal dungeon and I think you'll recognise the person in it." The person looked up at the Holly as she watched and it was evident from his brown and blue eyes that he could see her too.

"Holly," Artemis shouted and quickly rushed over. "Whatever it is he asks you turn him down. Don't agree to anything." Holly frowned, the same phrase as Alpha had used. She turned to Ben again.

"I'll reiterate my offer." Ben said calmly. "You work for me for one relative year. Should you do so then the reward is this. I remove my manipulation from this event as such so that none of this ever happened. You, I, Artemis and Alpha here will still remember but no-one else will you get your Artemis back and the world goes back to normal and I get my footage. Your call."

Holly didn't need to think about it. It was an automatic response like breathing and flinching. But she decided to ask one more question anyway.

"How do I know you'll keep to your deal?"

Ben looked hurt. "Oh you wound me with your distrust. Fine ask Artemis and Alpha."

Turning to them Holly saw the same troubled expression and they agreed that although he was many horrible things Ben would keep to his word.

"But Holly please don't. Even for me it isn't worth it. It'll be the worst thing you'll ever experience. Alpha lost his soul during his work with "Ben" and you could quite easily lose it too."

"What happens if I refuse your deal?" Holly asked.

"Nothing I leave you alone and my dungeon gets decorated with essence of Arty. This is an offer."

"It doesn't feel like one."

"That's the point."

Holly had made her decision as soon as she had seen Artemis.

"Sorry Arty." She said before turning to Ben. "Okay. I'll do it."

"No!!!" Alpha and Artemis shrieked before the hologram died.

"Excellent," Ben said pocketing the device again. "Just step through the portal when you're ready."

As soon as Holly vanished Ben turned to Alpha.

"No, whatever it is I refuse nothing you can say wi."

"I can return your soul. Simple process."

Alpha gulped. "You said that was impossible."

"I said it was improbable."

Alpha looked as if he had swallowed a lemon tree.

"What's the offer?"

"The same as Holly's, one year and I return it and put you back in the right place of space and time."

"Fine," Alpha spat and followed after Holly to experience a terrible year.

_And that's it. I'll probably write an epilogue in a few weeks so it isn't my last update. What did you think? R&R PLEASE. _


	16. The Epilogue

The Epilogue

_One Relative Year Later, at a small park near Fowl Manor._

Holly materialised, for what she hoped to be the last time, upon a small bridge that spanned, less of a pond and more of a glorified puddle. But the sun was bright, the trees around the lake were blossoming, many blossoms floating on its surface, the birds were tweeting whatever song they pleased and the pink glow, the mist and the smell of dew that marked the beginning of dawn was around.

A year ago Holly would have been, overjoyed, happy, whatever word you want to use, to see this place. Now however, now she looked at the scene through broken eyes, eyes that darted at the slightest rustle in the trees, searching for anything dangerous. Now, she looks at the pink glow of dawn and sees the guts of so many humans and fairies alike she had gutted. Now she looks into the pond below and sees not the reflection of Holly but the reflection of the haunted, the reflection of someone who had seen _the_ truth, and bloody hell did that hurt.

The portal behind her closes and Holly sighs. She leans against the low wall around the bridge. Thinking. And feeling, nothing.

Then another portal opens behind her and Artemis steps through and as the portal closes he leans next to her. A few moments of silence but for the natural sounds.

"I did tell you not to." Artemis said watching the sun rise slowly.

Holly's mouth twitched for the first time in a year. "Since when did I listen to you?"

"Was it worth it?"

"Of course."

Another few minutes of silence, with so much to say where to start?

"How did you deal with the memories, Arty?" They looked at each other and Holly could see in Artemis' eyes the broken look she had seen in her reflection. Yet this one was older and patched over but the scars were still there.

"I'm afraid we have to live with them, Holly. A mindwipe of any kind doesn't work. He obviously doesn't want us forgetting him in a hurry."

They carried on staring into each others dead eyes, eyes that had lost the glow of life.

"I really missed you, Arty."

"I know you did." And as they both smiled at the joke, there was perhaps but a spark lit up there eyes.

Maybe the two broken spirits will help rebuild each other, maybe whatever emotions flow between them will help and maybe the nightmares they will share in the nights to come won't be so bad. Who can tell? Who can tell? I know not the secrets of love and cannot tell you. I cannot describe the feeling of being kept together by someone else, like broken glass in a frame. I cannot tell you, it merely exists and must be experienced. If you've experienced it already then maybe you know what I'm talking about.

And that I suppose is where we will leave them, give them the privacy they deserve. We will leave them broken and shattered but together on that bridge above that glorified puddle.

_And that's it!!! Please R&R. This chapter was harder to write really so I'd like feedback on it._

_But thanks to all my reviewers who kept this story alive, thanks to the readers after all this story is for you. I might go back through the story and edit It, maybe change a few things (Harry Potter!? I must have been mad) fix my awful grammar and speilling. But can't say that's likely. _

_And hopefully I didn't mess up the ending._


End file.
